The Effects of Temperature on Bacterial Numbers Found in Garden Hose Water
Type of Presentation
Event
Location
Hall of Governors
Start Date
4-7-2017 12:30 PM
End Date
4-7-2017 1:30 PM
Abstract
Consuming water from garden hoses may pose potential health risks if water is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. This study seeks to identify the bacteria species present in garden hose water and determine the role that temperature plays on bacterial numbers. Garden hoses are quite capable of harboring a large number of variable species of bacteria. These numbers ranged from several hundred to several million CFU/ml of water. Two-tailed Mann-Whitney test indicated a very significant correlation (p < 0.0001) between aerobic bacterial counts derived from hose water and counts obtained from the spigot water. The study found a low diversity community of bacteria, which were primarily soil and water dwelling species. A controlled experiment found that E. coli was able to survive within hoses at various temperatures (1.6°C-37°C) for up to 9 days. Temperatures of 40°C were high enough to kill off most cells within a day.
The Effects of Temperature on Bacterial Numbers Found in Garden Hose Water
Hall of Governors
Consuming water from garden hoses may pose potential health risks if water is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. This study seeks to identify the bacteria species present in garden hose water and determine the role that temperature plays on bacterial numbers. Garden hoses are quite capable of harboring a large number of variable species of bacteria. These numbers ranged from several hundred to several million CFU/ml of water. Two-tailed Mann-Whitney test indicated a very significant correlation (p < 0.0001) between aerobic bacterial counts derived from hose water and counts obtained from the spigot water. The study found a low diversity community of bacteria, which were primarily soil and water dwelling species. A controlled experiment found that E. coli was able to survive within hoses at various temperatures (1.6°C-37°C) for up to 9 days. Temperatures of 40°C were high enough to kill off most cells within a day.