Nachweis und Charakterisierung einiger pathogener Bakterien im Wasser

Conventional bacterial indicators remain the gold standard for assessing water quality. However, the presence of viable but non-culturable bacteria continues to cause serious outbreaks due to the use of water contaminated with pathogens for drinking and/or recreational purposes. The aim of this study was to combine culture methods with PCR, both monoplex and multiplex, to determine the potential risk of the water being tested. Culture methods were used to detect bacterial indicators and selected pathogenic bacteria, namely Escherichia coli O157:H7, Legionella spp., and Helicobacter pylori. Additionally, PCR was employed to detect E. coli O157:H7 and a multiplex PCR for the simultaneous detection of the six selected virulence genes (flic, stx1, stx2, eae, rfbE, and hly). One hundred seventy different water samples were collected from Egypt. The water samples were sourced from the Nile (Rosetta branch), the Mediterranean Sea, sewage, hospital effluents, and groundwater. Legionella spp. and H. pylori were detected through culture methods on selective media in 25% and 33% of the tested water samples, respectively.