[Microbiological research methods of drinking water regulation in West Germany from 1986. Suitability of the specifications of DIN 38411, Part 7, for the detection of sulfite-reducing, spore-forming anaerobes (Clostridia)].

The drinking-water regulations of the Federal Republic of Germany, from 22.05.1986, contains in paragraph 1 the instructions: "Drinking-water must be free of pathogens", and further in paragraph 11, "Responsibilities of the employer or other owner of a water supplying facility", include that: "The official authority may direct, that the employer...of a water supplying facility has to extend or has to cause to extend the microbiological examinations in order to determine, that...sulfite-reducing, spore-forming anaerobes (Clostridia) can not be detected in 20 ml of water..." The drinking-water regulations do not prescribe a bacteriological examination method in detail. Appendix 1 rules only that the examination for sulfite-reducing, spore-forming anaerobes (Clostridia) has to be performed after heating the sample to 75 degrees C (+/- 5 degrees C) for 10 min, by either the multiple-tube or membrane filtration method and cultivation in DRCM1-medium. If growth occurs, the presence of Clostridia must be confirmed by anaerobic and aerobic subcultivation. Furthermore, a DIN-instruction (DIN 38411, part 7) exists, which prescribes a detailed procedure for multiple-tube and membrane filtration methods, but does not provide for strict anaerobiosis. We were, however, unable to detect Clostridia in a multitude of water samples with the methods of the DIN-regulation. In order to examine if neglect of strict anaerobiosis was the reason for these failures, we checked the suitability of the DIN-regulation for the isolation of Clostridia from drinking water. In preliminary tests we examined up to four strains of the species C. botulinum, C. cadaveris, C. cochlearium, C. difficile, C. innocuum, C. perfringens and C. tertium for their ability to form heat-resistent spores in four sporulation media. It was, however, not possible to find a medium, in which all strains could sporulate within one week. In order to characterize the detection of these anaerobes in water, one particularly well-sporulating strain of each of the following, C. cadaveris, C. difficile and C. perfringens, was selected and the multiple-tube and membrane-filtration methods were compared. Counts of C. difficile and C. perfringens detected by the multiple-tube method were identical with counts of test-suspensions determinded by the most probable number (MPN) method. It was found to be decisive that only freshly prepared DRCM-medium be used and that, disagreeing with the DIN-instruction, cultivation at 37 degrees C is continued for at least four days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)