[The removal of salmonellae in waste water by bacteriophages (author's transl)]

Sewage treatment plants show only a 90-99% reduction in numbers of salmonellae. And the following chlorination of the effluents produces chlorinated organic derivatives and these are likely to be of great long term environmental danger. Thus for reasons of hygiene, it is desirable to study biological methods to remove salmonellae in waste waster. Therefore, the efficiency of the Felix O 1-bacteriophage for the removal of S. schottmuelleri and S. typhimurium was investigated. The composition and the pH of the medium (Destilled water, Sörensen phosphate buffer solution, pH 6.0-8.0, and sterilized wate water, pH 6.5) seem not to have a considerable importance for the observed salmonellae removal efficiency. As it is shown, the reduction of salmonellae by the O 1-phages is dependent on their concentration (Fig. 1). It is true, there is 90-99% removal of salmonellae as a function of their concentration, but a perfect elimination is not possible.