[Comparative study of the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water]

In this report we examined quantitatively (MPN-procedure) various methods of isolating Ps. aeruginosa from surface waters. When comparing different media (malachitgreen broth, Preuss-broth, selenite broth, asparagine broth, malachitgreen/acetamide broth) the enrichments in malachitgreen and asparagine showed the highest isolation frequencies after an 48 h incubation time. In heavily polluted river water the results can be improved by a second enrichment step in acetamide broth. Dependent on the river water pollution 0...11,000 Ps. aeruginosa/l were detected. In waste water up to 2.4 X 10(6) Ps. aeruginosa/l were isolated. The results emphasize the significance of water as a reservoir and a source of distribution of Ps. aeruginosa in the environment.