A Student Complains That It Makes No Sense to Worry

question 57

Multiple Choice

A student complains that it makes no sense to worry about coliform bacteria in water, since we naturally have harmless coliforms in our intestines anyway. Is the student correct?

• A) No. The coliforms in our intestines are usually harmful, causing intestinal infections. We need to constantly be on guard against this happening. Coliforms in water might add to this potential problem.
• B) No. Not all coliforms are harmless to humans. It's best to keep coliforms OUT of our drinking water, since it's difficult to identify which ones might be harmless and which ones might be harmful.
• C) No. Multiple types of coliforms in water might lead to greater antibiotic resistance in other aquatic bacteria, creating an environmental problem.
• D) Yes. Regulatory agencies that monitor coliform levels in water simply need something to do to justify their existence. There is no real danger from coliforms in water supplies.
• E) No. Clean water should not have any bacteria in it at all, so if any are present, they automatically pose a health risk to anyone swimming in or drinking that water.

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