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Occurrence of ‘thermophilic’ campylobacters in sewage and their removal by treatment processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

S. M. Arimi ,
C. R. Fricker  and
R. W. A. Park
S. M. Arimi
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Reading, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ, UK
C. R. Fricker
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Reading, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ, UK
R. W. A. Park
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, University of Reading, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ, UK
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Removal of thermophilic campylobacters from sewage at three different stages of treatment at a trickling filter sewage works has been assessed. Samples of incoming sewage, primary sedimentation effluent and final effluent were taken daily from 06.00 h to 20.00 h for 5 consecutive days and the numbers of campylobacters determined by using a most probable number method. Each sample was cultured using 2 h pre–enrichment followed by enrichment in Preston broth for 48 h and detection by plating. Over 78% of the incoming campylobacters were removed after primary sedimentation and < 0.1% remained in the final effluent. Campylobacter jejun biotype I and biotype II constituted 81.5% and 15.9% respectively of the 232 isolates tested. Serotypes common in sewage were common in human faces. It appears that the trickling filter sewage works removes most of the campylobacters entering the sewage works, but large numbers, estimated to be approximately 1010, are released into the environment daily from a local sewage works.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 101 , Issue 2 , October 1988 , pp. 279 - 286
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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