The following information is not related to the Sherwood Medical Site and is provided for general public knowledge.

A host of human diseases, particularly those of the gastrointestinal tract are spread through fecally contaminated water. The isolation and identification of specific disease-producing bacteria, parasites and viruses that may exist in water is time consuming and possibly hazardous. Therefore, appropriate indicator organisms are used to detect the presence of these enteric pathogens (disease causing bacteria). These indicators belong to the coliform group of bacteria. They were selected because they are usually present in water containing pathogenic organisms; survive longer in the aquatic environment; are relatively harmless; and are easily grown, isolated and identified.

These organisms are widely distributed in nature and many are native to the gut of warm-blooded animals, including man. They are considered to be non-pathogenic under normal conditions and are able to exist as free living saprophytes (an organism which lives on dead organic material) as well as in the intestinal tract.

Current regulations in the U.S. as well as most other countries require that potable (drinking) water be tested for the presence of total coliform organisms.

The absence of total coliforms in a water supply is used as a basis for considering the water safe to drink.

A - (Absent) no coliform bacteria and less than 50 non-coliform bacteria [satisfactory].

M - (Moderate) no coliform bacteria and >50 but <200 non-coliform bacteria [satisfactory].

TNTC - (Too Numerous to Count) >200 non-coliform bacteria [unsatisfactory].

C - (Confluent Growth) petri plate completely overgrown with colonies [unsatisfactory].

P - (Present) coliform bacteria present [unsatisfactory]; P/P/A - (t. coli present/t. coli confirmed/fecal coliform absent, P/P/P - t. coli present/t. coli confirmed/fecal coliform present.