Why Do Water-Testing Procedures Look for Coliforms Rather Than Pathogens

question 25

Multiple Choice

Why do water-testing procedures look for coliforms rather than pathogens?

• A) Pathogens are seldom found in water. Testing for coliforms is a way of determining whether there is any human normal microbiota contamination in that water, which should then be treated with chlorine.
• B) Pathogens are extremely fastidious in their nutrient requirements and require special growth conditions. Coliforms are easier to culture in a laboratory setting, so it makes sense to test for these rather than for actual pathogens.
• C) It is always somewhat dangerous to culture pathogens in a laboratory setting - people in the lab are at risk of contracting serious disease. It is much safer to test for coliforms which simply indicate that humans have been swimming in the water.
• D) It is not possible to test for all of the potential pathogens in water, so indicator organisms such as coliforms are used. These microbes are found in feces, so finding them suggests fecal contamination, and indicates a greater likelihood that intestinal pathogens are also present.
• E) Pathogens and coliforms are the same thing. Testing for one is also testing for the other. 

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