Microbiological Quality Monitoring of the Effluent of it Wastewater Treatment Plant by Use of Bacteriophages

摘要: The potential use of bacteriophages as indicators of faecal pollution in different types of water, has been studied recently. The correlation of the number of bacterial indicators and the presence of three groups of bacteriophages,(somatic coliphages, F-RNA specific phages and phages of Bacteroides fragilis), in raw and treated wastewater is presented in this study, Samples, of each treatment stage, from two wastewater treatment plants in Athens, in a 2 year period, were collected monthly, and analyzed for total coliforms, E. coli, intestinal enterococci and the three groups of bacteriophages. A clear correlation between the number of bacterial indicators and the presence of bacteriophages was observed. E. coli and enterococci concentrations of 103 cfusllOOml consist a threshold for the presence of somatic coliphages in wastewater. E. coli concentrations of 106 cfusllOOml and enterococci of 105 cfus/100ml consist a threshold for the presence of F-specific bacteriophages, and E. coli and enterococci concentrations of 106 cfus/lOOml a threshold for the presence ofBfragilis phages.