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Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Colorimetric Paper-based Detection of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes from Large Volumes of Agricultural Water
Published on: June 9, 2014
Comparative evaluation of chromogenic agar CM1046 and mFC agar for detection of E. coli and thermotolerant coliform
1Unitywater, Maroochydore Sewage Treatment Plant, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. tracey.wohlsen@unitywater.com
Aims:
The equivalence of Oxoid (CM 1046) Brilliance((TM)) E. coli/coliform selective agar to mFC agar, as used in the Australian/New Zealand Standard Method to detect thermotolerant coliforms and Escherichia coli in water samples, was assessed.
Methods And Results:
A total of 244 water samples were analysed in parallel over a 5-month period. Sewage effluent samples (n = 131, sites = 43), freshwater (n = 62, sites = 18) and marine/brackish water samples (n = 51, sites = 23) were analysed. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test showed a varying degree of statistical difference between the two methods. All matrices had a higher recovery in the trial method. Enterococci faecalis, Aeromonas spp. and Vibrio spp. did not grow on the CM1046 agar, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter aerogenes were inhibited.
Conclusions:
The use of CM 1046 for the detection and enumeration of E. coli and thermotolerant coliforms in water samples is a suitable alternative to the AS/NZS Standard Method.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
The use of CM1046 agar was less labour intensive and time consuming, as no secondary confirmation steps were required. Confirmed results could be reported within 24 h of sample analysis, as compared to 48 h with the reference method. Public health concerns can be addressed in a more efficient manner.
