ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE TESTING - RECENT ADVANCES IN THE DIFFERENTION BETWEEN BACTERIAL AND FUNGAL CONTAMINATION AND DETECTION OF DORMANT MICROBES IN FUEL AND FUEL-ASSOCIATED WATER SAMPLES

摘要

Quantification of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in fuels and fuel-associated waters was first presented at the Technische Akademie Esslingcn 6th International Fuels Colloquium in 2007. At the time, two issues limited the overall usefulness of ATP as a test parameter: inability to differentiate between bacteria and fungi and inability to detect dormant microbes. Recent research has addressed both of these issues. This paper presents protocols for detecting dormant microbes - identified as microbes that are not metabolically active in the sampled fluid, but which can become active under appropriate conditions - and for differentiating fungi from bacteria. The newly developed protocols achieve >90% detection of bacterial endospores in fluid samples. They also provide >90% differentiation between bacterial and fungal contaminants in these fluids.