Prevalence of Enteroviruses in Ground Water of Israel

Few studies have been performed on the occurrence of enterovirus contamination of ground water. In this study, 99 ground-water samples were examined for the presence of enteroviruses, total bacteria, fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci by standard methods. Enteroviruses were isolated from 20% of the samples. Viruses were isolated from 12 samples which contained no detectable fecal organisms per 100 ml. No statistical correlation between presence of virus and bacteriological indicators could be determined. The widespread failure of current bacteriological standards to indicate the presence of potentially pathogenic enteroviruses in ground water is an area of concern that requires more study.