Coliform bacteria

When coliform bacteria, faecal or thermotolerant coliform referred to lactosespaltende gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria that produce acid and gas within 48 hours at 35 ° C. These include the genera Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Escherichia and Klebsiella. You are indicator organisms for sanitary quality of water and sanitation indicator in food production. It is a historically evolved, not taxonomic classification, since it was difficult to differentiate Escherichia coli with purely biochemical detection methods from other enterobacteria in practice. In general, the formation of gas is examined by lactose fermentation in MPN Titerverfahren. Here, a BRILA broth ( Brilliant Green Bile Lactose Broth) is used frequently. However, there are also solid culture media: eosin -methylene- blue or Endo agar with lactose, fuchsin and sulfite or Violet Red Bile Agar with neutral red as a pH indicator, indicating lactose fermentation as pink colonies and membrane filtration tests that indicate the formation of aldehydes.