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w Health-Related Microorganisms

As the population grow and people inhabit in wider area, the distance between water
resources and the sites of human activities is gradually narrowed. This is one of the reason
why those pathogenic microorganisms, having been in waste streams without causing a
human health-threat, suddenly have become a big issue.
The emergence of protozoa in water sources is a widespread problem in all over the world.
Ohgaki et al. developed a method to estimate the health risks associated with the occurrence
of Cryptosporidium. Based on the data taken from the Sagami River, he discusses that the risk
of Cryptosporidium infection is more than 10-4, which increases slightly after the rainfall.
Modem methods developed for biotechnology is rapidly introduced into environmental
microbiology. Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (PCR) can multiply a fragment of genes, thus has
potential use for enumerating the unculturable or difficult-to-culture microorganisms.
Katayama et al. applied a PCR method to count the number of coliphage QI]. The PCR
method was quite successful in counting the number of Q[3, but it gave a false number of
viable count because it cannot differentiate those dead cells after disinfection by UV or
chlorine from viable cells.
Algal bloom in water resources causes a variety of problems: e.g., bad odor and taste,
troubles in water treatment, and algogenic toxins. Alam et al. presents the effect of UV
radiation on the control of algae using Microcystis aeruginosa as a test species.
Comparatively small dose of UV had negative impact on algal growth. UV radiation under the
presence of organic matter showed a residual effect on growth inhibition of algae. This
residual effect was correlated with the production of hydrogen peroxide and the presence of
ferric iron.
Coliform and fecal coliform are widely used as indices of fecal pollution, and
bacteriophages are proposed as surrogate indices for human viruses. Claydong et al. made an
extensive survey on the presence of bacteriophages, coliform, and fecal coliform in
wastewater from various sources. Three bacteriophage species, i.e., bacteriophage B,
bacteriophage C, and F-specific bacteriophage were used as indicator organisms.
Bacteriophage C was more abundant in all kinds of wastewaters than other bacteriophages,
and had a better correlation with coliform count.