Microbial pollution indicators in Brazilian tropical and subtropical marine surface waters.

The specificity of indicators that depend on elevated incubation temperature as a selective factor for their enumeration was questioned because of the possibility of interference from autochthonous microorganisms adapted to high ambient temperatures. Lactose-fermenting cultures isolated from fecal coliform tests of tropical marine surface waters were identified as consisting of about 70% Escherichia coli, and most of the remaining cultures being Klebsiella, Enterobacter or Citrobacter species. This confirmed the taxonomic specificity of fecal coliform tests for these waters. Fecal and total coliforms, fecal streptococcus, heterotrophic bacteria and yeast counts had correlations of above 99% confidence levels with most other microbial and chemical parameters studied. Waters with fecal coliform counts above 1000 per 100 ml had increased incidence of presumptive pathogenic yeasts, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella. Our data support the use of coliforms or fecal streptococci as indicators of recent fecal pollution in tropical marine waters and yeast or heterotrophic bacteria counts as complementary indicator methods for these waters.