[Coliphages as indicators of fecal contamination in sea water]

Assessment of water quality has traditionally relied on faecal indicator organisms, which however do not necessarily correlate well with the presence of pathogenic organisms. Coliphages are regarded as possible alternative indicators. Although they can be detected in water by rapid, simple and reliable procedures, any agreement about a standard method has not yet been reached. Moreover guidelines for the levels of bacteriophages have not yet been set as for coliform bacteria, making difficult to evaluate results. In this work both bacteriophages anti E. coli and traditional indicators of fecal contamination were detected on 274 seawater samples taken from 23 sampling stations located along the coast of southern Sardinia (Italy). The results confirm the usefulness of coliphages as indicators of fecal contamination and suggest a level which could be considered a guideline value for their presence in seawater.