SMI offers an array of bacterial testing services and a partial list is presented below.  SMI is also heavily invested in the development of improved methods for the detection of pathogenic bacteria as well as indicator bacteria.  In the event that you have custom research needs, our Project Management Team will be pleased to discuss how SMI can support you.

Total Aerobic Spore Count

Because aerobic spores are essentially ubiquitous in the environment and are typically present in high concentrations, tracking changes in the densities of these spores through natural and engineered treatment systems can make it possible to estimate the microbial removal efficiencies for bacterial and perhaps protozoan pathogens in ways that would not otherwise be possible.  Natural water samples containing these spores are pasteurized to inactivate vegetative cells and are then membrane-filtered and incubated on nutrient media.   Bacterial colonies are then enumerated to compute the number of spores present.  By comparing the spore densities measured from samples obtained upstream and downstream of a treatment process (e.g. bank filtration or rapid rate granular media filtration) it is possible to determine the efficiency of the process for bacterial removals.

Aeromonas

Members of the Aeromonas genus are ubiquitous in lakes, rivers and reservoirs.   A number of species are considered emerging human pathogens and may be associated with conditions that range from mild gastroenteritis and wound infections to serious diarrheal disease.   In addition to causing illness in humans, Aeromonads are important pathogens in amphibians, reptiles, and fish, causing major problems in aquaculture operations.

SMI is actively involved in Aeromonas research studies aimed at developing detection methods

that can identify relevant disease-causing strains of Aeromonas from environmental samples. 

SMI scientists are proficient in EPA Method 1605 and have extended the utility of this enumerative membrane filtration technique to perform speciation of Aeromonas isolates using a multiplex PCR method followed by agarose gel electrophoresis.  Recovered Aeromonas isolates can then be evaluated in a public health context to determine disease potential for humans or animals.

Total Coliforms/E. coli

Coliform bacteria have been used as water quality indicators for well over half a century in the United States.  The utility of coliform monitoring was improved with the development of more specific tests for thermo tolerant bacteria that may reflect the presence of waterborne bacteria more accurately than the broader coliform group.  More recently, a variety of commercial systems have been developed for the detection and enumeration of E. coli, a member of the fecal coliform group. SMI offers both presence/absence and enumerative testing of total coliform bacteria and E. coli.

For further information about SMI's services, please feel to contact a project manager at (574) 277-4078.