Applied and Environmental Microbiology · 1979 · 34 citations · 14 references
Life SciencesEnvironmental SciencesMicrobiologyEnvironmental MicrobiologyWastewater TreatmentWater TreatmentWaste TreatmentWastewater CharacterizationWastewater ManagementWastewater MicrobiologyWastewater Quality ManagementWater Quality MicrobiologyEndotoxin AssaysEndotoxin DetectionEndotoxin QuantificationEndotoxin TestingMicrobial Water Quality AnalysisMicrobial Water Quality AssessmentReclamationWastewater Contamination Assessment
The Limulus endotoxin assay was compared to the standard plate count and total coliform count for assessment of the bacteriological quality of reclaimed wastewater. A total of 48 water samples from an advanced waste treatment plant in Dallas, Tex. were examined by the three techniques. Limulus assays were technically simpler to perform and provided results much sooner than conventional culture methods. However, the endotoxin values did not correlate extremely well with determinations of viable bacterial numbers. This lack of correlation may have been due to alterations in the normal ratio of viable gram-negative cells to endotoxin caused by water reclamation procedures.
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