Heterotrophic plate counts and the isolation of bacteria from mineral waters on selective and enrichment media

Abstract

Strains identified as CDC gr IVc-2 and Comamonas (Ps.) acidouorans were the two most commonly isolated. Considerable variation in populations was seen between the brands, as well as between two batches of the same mineral water.

Bacteriological quality of bottled natural mineral waters commercialized in Hungary

“…There are several studies in the literature on the occurrence of P. aeruginosa in bottled mineral waters, but the data differ widely among various investigators. Values ranging from 0% to 11% are generally reported (Jayasekara, Heard, Cox, & Fleet, 1998;Manaia et al, 1990;Massa, Fanelli, Brienza, & Sinigaglia, 1998;Tsai & Yu, 1997;Venieri et al, 2006); however, Da Silva et al (2008) and Rivilla & González (1988) isolated P. aeruginosa from 58.4% and 37.5% of Brazilian and Spanish bottled mineral water samples, respectively.…”

“…High levels of HPC in non-carbonated mineral waters are usually indicative of the natural proliferation of autochthonous bacteria present in low numbers in the source water, although sometimes contamination within the bottling plant is considered to be responsible (Kassenga, 2007;Manaia, Nunes, Morais, & Da Costa, 1990;Stickler, 1989). The rapid growth of bacteria after the mineral water is bottled may be due to oxygenation of the water during processing, the increase in surface area provided by the bottle, the increase in temperature, and the amount of nutrients arising from the bottle (Warburton, 2000;Warburton et al, 1992).…”

Assignment of Centers for Disease Control group IVc-2 to the genus Ralstonia as Ralstonia paucula sp. nov.

“…In the present study, we examined the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of 12 CDC group IVc-2 strains and compared them with those of the presently known species of the genus Ralstonia. The biochemical reactivity pattern, the whole-cell protein and the ARDRA patterns of all strains, including two spa water isolates (Manaia et al, 1990), were very similar and clearly distinct from those of strains representing the known Ralstonia species (Figs 1-3).…”

“…Strains have been isolated from a variety of human clinical sources including blood, wounds, sputum, urine, eye, throat and peritoneal fluid. In addition, R. paucula strains have been isolated from pool water (Aspinal & Graham, 1989), groundwater (Campbell Wyndham et al, 1994) and bottled mineral water (Manaia et al, 1990). It should be noted that R. paucula strains were present in bottled mineral water only at the day of bottling; after 7 d storage, no strains could be recovered, suggesting that they did not survive or were, unlike several other components of the flora of bottled mineral waters, unable to multiply (Ferreira et al, 1996).…”

“…This bacterium is believed to be an environmental organism and several infections associated with contaminated water have been described (Anderson et al, 1997). CDC group IVc-2 strains have also been reported in pool water (Aspinal & Graham, 1989), groundwater (Campbell Wyndham et al, 1994), and even in considerable percentages of different brands of bottled mineral water (Manaia et al, 1990).…”