Rapid Enzymatic Method for the Enumeration of Fecal Enterococci in Seawater

Abstract

The new European Directive of 15 February 2006 sought active management of the water quality in swimming areas by 2015. This new guideline requires more restrictions concerning fecal bacteria and particularly enterococci. Our aim is to improve a technique for enumeration of fecal pollution indicator bacteria by recording a specific enzymatic activity (ß-D-glucosidase) using fluorimetry. This method is fast, and the real-time monitoring (1 h) is crucial in case of emergency. The validation of our work will come only after the identification and suppression of interferences related to fluorimetry measurements. The second aspect of our research deals with the behavior of fecal indicator bacteria according to chemical and physical parameters of the environment through the study of their viability in marine waters. This important step aims to create estimation models.