ABSTRACT
Coliforms are diverse bacteria that live in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, as well as in the general environment. Total coliforms are common environmental organisms in soils and water as well as being found in fecal sources from warm-blooded animals. They are common in surface water, soils, plant materials, and paper mill effluents. For that reason detections of total coliforms alone are not a clear indicator of fecal contamination, whereas the presence of fecal coliforms or E. coli is a much more specific marker of fecal contamination. Escherichia coli are the most important indicator bacteria for relatively recent fecal contamination, because they are more numerous than fecal pathogens, can survive in the environment and are similarly subject to water treatment. Risks are associated with exposures to sewage/sanitary contaminated milk and food, recreational water and drinking water. Apart from the disease concerns of some strains, Escherichia coli have many uses in biotechnology, including recombinant DNA research.
