QUANTIFICATION METHOD FOR RAPID COLIFORM MICROORGANISMS IN A WATER SAMPLE

摘要

The invention relates to a method for rapid quantification of live coliform microorganisms in a water sample in which the microorganisms are placed in contact with a fluorogenic substrate which is hydrolyzed to methylumbelliferone by an enzyme released by the microorganisms. The methylumbelliferone is detected by the fluorescence it emits, the rate of change of this fluorescence being measured in order to determine the concentration of coliform microorganisms in the original sample from the calculated rate of change and a correlation scheme. Typically, a preliminary processing step, including pre-filtration, of the sample is performed to remove at least a portion of the suspended particles in the water, which allows to give a quantification all comparable to that of the standard microplate method.Application to the analysis of bathing waters for the detection of Escherichia Coli.