Coliform species found in coastal seawater in Tokyo Bay

Abstract

The quantitative and qualitative distribution of coliforms in coastal seawater in Tokyo Bay was investigated. Total coliforms and fecal coliforms were detected with numbers of the order of 10²-10⁴ viable cells per 100 ml from seawater samples taken at five sites. Their numbers highly correlated with organic pollution levels as determined by chemical oxygen demand. The major constituents of the coliform flora of those environments were Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. On the other hand, psychrotrophic coliform species, such as Rahnella aquatilis and Serratia fonticola, were scarcely encountered. These findings present a strinking contrast to the results previously obtained with mountain stream water.