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The Effect of Cadmium on Indicator Bacteria in Sewage

Inverkan av kadmium på auloppsvattens indikatorbakterier.

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 21, pages 43–54 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

The effect of cadmium (Cd) on the number of different faecal indicator bacteria in sewage, and on species composition of different indicator bacteria, was studied. Different amounts of Cd were added to aliquots of a sewage sample, and after 0, 4% and 24 h of Cd exposure at 20°C conforms, faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci and Clostridium perfringens were enumerated by the membrane filter method.

The Cd-induced reduction in the number of coliforms and faecal coliforms during exposure was found to be greater than the decrease in the number of faecal streptococci. In the case of C. perfringens the Cd concentrations used produced no observable effect on the cell number. The addition of Cd changed the faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci density relationship. Escherichia coli seems to be more resistant to Cd than other coliforms and Streptococcus faecalis var. liquefaciens and Streptococcus durans more resistant to Cd than other faecal streptococci. No influence of Cd on gas production by faecal coliforms was observed.

Faecal streptococci and C. perfringens seem to be better indicator bacteria than coliforms and faecal coliforms in evaluating the hygienic quality of Cd polluted sewage.

Sammanfattning

Inverkan av kadmium (Cd) på antalet i avloppsvatten förekommande olika fekala indikatorbakterier samt på artsammansåttningen av olika indikatorbakterier undersöktes. Olika Cd mångder tillsattes till delar av ett avloppsvattenprov och förekomsten av coliforma bakterier, fekala coliforma bakterier, fekala streptokocker och Clostridium perfringens undersöktes med membranfiltertekniken, sedan bakterierna hade blivit utsatta för Cd i 0, 4½ och 24 timmar vid 20 °C.

Efter inkubering med Cd var minskningen av coliforma och fekala coliforma bakterier större än förminskningen av fekala streptokocker. De använda Cd koncentrationerna hade ingen betydande inverkan på antalet av C. perfringens. Tillsatsen av Cd förändrade relationerna i antalet mellan fekala coliforma bakterier och fekala streptokocker. Escherichia coli var tydligen mera resistent mot Cd ån andra coliforma bakterier och Streptococcus faecalis var. liquefaciens och Streptococcus durans mera resistent mot Cd ån andra fekala streptokocker. Ingen inverkan av Cd observerades på gasbildingen av fekala coliforma bakterier.

Fekala streptokocker och C. perfringens verkar vara båttre indikatorbakterier ån coliforma och fekala coliforma bakterier, når den hygieniska kvaliteten av Cd förorenade avloppsvatten undersökes.

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  1. Department of Food Hygiene, College of Veterinary Medicine, Helsinki, Finland

    H. Korkeala & J. Hirn

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  1. H. Korkeala
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  2. J. Hirn
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Korkeala, H., Hirn, J. The Effect of Cadmium on Indicator Bacteria in Sewage. Acta Vet Scand 21, 43–54 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03546899

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147