MICROBES PRESENT IN WATER AND MILK

Microbes present in Water

Water is essential to life, but many people do not have access to clean and safe
drinking water and many die of waterborne bacterial infections.
Microorganisms are organisms (such as bacteria, disease from viruses, and protozoan)
that are too small to be seen without a microscope. While most microorganisms are harmless,
"infectious” microorganisms can multiply in the body and cause illness or disease.
Water microbiology is concerned with the microorganisms that live in water, or can be
transported from one habitat to another by water. Water can support the growth of many types
of microorganisms. This can be advantageous. For example, the chemical activities of certain
strains of yeasts provide us with beer and bread. As well, the growth of some bacteria in
contaminated water can help digest the poisons from the water.
However, the presence of other disease causing microbes in water is unhealthy and
even life threatening. For example, bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts of humans and
other warm blooded animals, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio, can
contaminate water if feces enter the water.
Many microorganisms are found naturally in fresh and saltwater. These include
bacteria, cyanobacteria, protozoa, algae, and tiny animals such as rotifers. These can be
important in the food chain that forms the basis of life in the water. For example, the microbes
called cyanobacteria can convert the energy of the sun into the energy it needs to live. The
plentiful numbers of these organisms in turn are used as food for other life. The algae that
thrive in water is also an important food source for other forms of life.
Common Microorganisms found in Drinking Water
Cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium is what’s known as a protozoan a single-celled organism and is most
famous for giving people bouts of crippling diarrhea, a condition affectionately referred to as
cryptosporidiosis. The protozoon works like a parasite, latching onto the intestines and laying
eggs in a person’s fecal matter and that’s how it spreads: when drinking water becomes
contaminated with infected fecal matter, crypto moves on to new hosts. We have safeguards
in place to stop it from happening, but on a good day it only stops 99 percent of the
cryptosporidium. In 1998 a crypto bloom broke out in Sydney, Australia. Officials noticed the
 rise, but didn’t act for a few days because the levels were still “within acceptable health
limits.” That means that there are acceptable levels for a diarrhea-inducing parasite that comes
from poop in your water.
When cities pump water out to their residents, they put the water through a series of
filtration and disinfection steps first. This is obviously beneficial because when you pull water
from lakes and rivers it’s most likely going to be filled with bacteria.

Anabaena sp.
This pleasant looking slinky is Anabaena circinalis, a cyanobacteria that lives in
freshwater reservoirs around the world, notably Australia, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and
North America. Cyanobacteria like this are believed to be some of the first multicellular
organisms on earth, and as such have evolved to do some very curious things. In the case of
Anabaena spp., those things are the production of neurotoxins. The discovery of Anatoxin-a
was one of the first cases of a neurotoxin being produced by cyanobacteria, and we found out
in a big way: An outbreak in the 1950’s got into the drinking water supply and was
responsible for a series of mass die offs at cattle farms across the U.S.
 In Australia, freshwater Anabaena bacteria have been found producing saxitoxins, a
type of neurotoxin that causes respiratory arrest, followed bydeath. The military has even
gone so far as to classify saxitoxins as Schedule 1 substances with “no practical use outside of
weapons manufacture.” Fortunately, cyanobacteria are one of the easier microorganisms to
filter out of drinking water.
Rotifers
Rotifers are a relatively common microorganism that can be found pretty much
everywhere in the world. And they’re also one of the most common drinking water
contaminants, despite growing as large as 1mm at times (which is hardly microscopic—you
can see that with your naked eye). Some of them swim, others crawl around with an
inchworm motion, but none of them are known to be harmful to humans. And that’s good,
because they show up in tap water fairly often.

And rotifers are also known to act as hosts to protozoans (like cryptosporidium) and
bacteria. That leads to a mirrored benefit, of sorts: rotifers can be used as a warning system to
let officials know that there’s something wrong with their systems, but by the time they’re
seen, there could be other things that got through as well.
Copepods
Copepods are larger, and possibly even more common. They can grow up to 2mm
(double the size of rotifers), and they’re actually a type of crustacean, sort of like miniature
shrimp. And they’re everywhere.
 In the Connecticut incident, which happened in 2009, residents began finding
thousands of them in small samples of water. One resident compared them to “tiny
polliwogs,” and stated, “It was completely disgusting. We were drinking them, washing out
clothes in them, and it was just completely nasty.” But if anything, copepods are beneficial
because they often feed on toxins. Again though, the fact that they can make it through the
filtration system means plenty of smaller bacteria can too.
E. Coli
E. coli, or Escherichia coli, a bacteria that lives in, on, and around fecal matter. It’s
been publicized more times than you can shake a stick at, until by now it’s practically a
legend of the bacteria world. From foodto water to even more food, it’s hard to get away
from. Which is why it’s sort of disconcerting to find out that all drinking water invariably has
E. coli in it; it’s just kept down to levels that are considered “safe.”

E. coli is acceptable as long as it doesn’t appear in more than 5 percent of the water
samples collected in a given month.
Rhizopus Stolonifer
In the world at large, the more colorful something is, the more fun you can probably
have with it. And based on that logic, these mycotoxic mold spores are just a big barrel of
laughs. Until they start showing up in drinking water; then you have problems. Rhizopus
stolonifer is more commonly known as black bread mold; leave a piece of bread out in the
open, and this will be just one of the molds that take over it.

Widely considered the most common fungus in the world, it’s not surprising that this
mold shows up in tap water as well. Fungi reproduce with spores which, much like flower
pollen, float through the air until they find a suitable place to land and grow.

Naegleria Fowleri
This organism doesn’t look as terrifying as some of the other creatures on this list—
really it just looks like a few mold splotches. It’s actually an amoeba, though, and it eats
brains. To be scientific about it, the amoeba attacks a person’s nervous system by entering
through their nasal cavities, killing 98 percent of its victims.
 N. fowleri infections are rare, mostly because it isn’t effective if it’s consumed orally.
But in 2011, two Louisiana residents died from meningoencephalitis (the disease caused by
Naegleria) after making a nasal flush out of salt and tap water. When the deaths were
investigated, the brain eating amoeba was found on the bathtub, shower heads, and sink
faucets the house was literally covered in it. Despite this case, most infections aren’t caused
by tap water infected with N. fowleri.
Legionella Pneumophila
With a name like Legionella, this bacteria already sounds dangerous. And since it was
named after an American Legion convention in 1976 where it was responsible for 34 deaths
and a total of 221 infections, that might be a fair assumption. The condition caused by L.
pneumophila is now called Legionnaires’ disease, and it sends 18,000 people to the hospital
every year. And it comes from, you guessed it, contaminated water. Symptoms of
Legionnaires’ disease include confusion, fevers of up to 107 F (41.5 C), loss of coordination,
vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle aches. It shows up sporadically; in 2001, more than 700
people in Spain were infected in one centralized area.

Chaetomium sp.

Another type of mold, and one that looks slightly more terrifying than the psychedelic
funhouse in number five. Like black bread mold, Chaetomium species are fairly common in
everyday life, usually floating through the air in moist locations, which can encompass
everything from a swamp to your bathroom ceilings. This appears in tap water fairly rarely,
but when it is there it usually makes the water taste and smell slightly “off” normal signs to
stop drinking a glass of water in any case.
 Chaetomium sp. spores aren’t particularly dangerous, although in some cases they can
cause an infection known as phaeohyphomycosis, which is something you definitely do not
want to Google. They can also present a hazard to people who are allergic to the spores, and
even that typically only happens with chronic exposure.
Salmonella Enterica
One of the first things we learn as children is that you always cook chicken, and if you
handle it raw you better scrub those hands nice and good. The reason, of course, is
salmonella, which has such a long history of infection it’s not even possible to link to them all
here. Usually salmonella shows up on food such as beef, spinach, and of course, chicken
(hedgehogs too, surprisingly). Less commonly, salmonella causes outbreaks through none
other than our friendly neighborhood drinking water.

People with weak immune systems, like the elderly, are especially susceptible to
salmonella. Another study looked at the water supply of Togo, Africa, and found 26 cases of
salmonella contamination, suggesting that developing countries are at a greater risk for bacterial
infections from drinking water. It’s sort of common sense, but it’s beneficial to have figures to
see what exactly is causing illnesses in these areas.
 Microbes found in Milk

Milk is considered to be the most nearly perfect food for man and hence is one of the
most important articles of the diet. It is an extremely complex mixture. It usually contains
about 87% liquid (water) and about 13% of solids. Of the latter there is an average of about
4% fat and 9% of solids other than fat. The latter consists of protein (about 3.3%), lactose
(about 5%) and the ash content (about 0.7%). The protein includes casein and albumen. There
is usually about four times as much casein as all the other protein constituents of milk taken
together. In addition to these, there are hydrolytic enzymes.
Milk serves as an excellent medium for the growth of many bacteria and is
contaminated from various sources. Microorganisms play an important role in dairy industry.
The quality and conditions of production of milk can be judged by microbial contents. If
microorganisms are allowed to grow and multiply in milk they produce chemical changes that
make it unpalatable. Pathogenic bacteria can grow very well in milk. Therefore, milk may
serve as a medium for the dissemination of infectious diseases. Besides, there are certain
microorganisms which bring about chemical changes useful in the manufacture of dairy
products.
Types of Microorganisms Occurring In Milk

Biochemical Types

This group consists of those microorganisms occurring in milk which bring about
biochemical changes in it.

They are:
 Acid Forming Microbes
 Gas Forming microbes
 Ropy-milk Forming Microbes
 Proteolytic Microbes
 Lipolytic Microbes
Acid Forming Microbes
Acid forming microorganisms are certain bacteria which bring about the natural
fermentation of milk. The most common type is the lactic acid fermentation which takes place
during souring of milk under natural conditions. Milk of good sanitary quality when kept
 under conditions that allow growth ofStreptococcus spp., e.g., S.lactis and S. cremoris and
Lactobacillus species, e.g., L.casei, L.plantarum, L.brevis and L.fermentum develops a clean,
sour flavour. Lactobacillus spp. ferment lactose quickly but do not produce as high a
concentration of lactic acid as members of the genus Lcctobacillus Micrococcusspecies,
e.g., M.luteus M.variens and M.freudenreichii produce small amount of acid from lactose
fermentation and sour the milk. Escherichia coli and Enterobacteraerogenes also ferment
lactose to a mixture of end products like acids, gases and some neutral compounds. These are
considered undesirable as they produce CO2, H2 and unpleasant flavour. Microbacterium
lacticum is also reported in milk and ferments lactose to lactic acid and other end products.

Gas Forming Microorganisms

There are certain coliform bacteria like Clostridium butyrtcum which ferment lactose
to acids accompanied with accumulation of gas; the gas being usually a mixture of CO2 and
H2. Clostridium butyricum produces large amount of CO2 whereas coliform bacteria produce
H2 in addition. Certain yeasts, e.g., Torula cremoris, Candida pseudotropicalis and Torulopsis
sphaerica are reported in milk. They, too, ferment lactose and produce CO2.

Ropy-milk Forming Bacteria:

The conversion of liquid milk to viscous material by the action of microbes is called
‘ropy fermentation’. These microorganisms synthesize a viscous polysaccharide material that
forms a slime layer or capsule around their cells. Alcaligenes viscolactis, Enterobacter
gerogenes, Streptococcus cremoris and some species of Micrococcus are responsible for ropy
fermentation. Ropy milk is not deleterious to health but is usually objectionable due to its
appearance and is frequently used as the culture medium.

Proteolytic Bacteria

Bacillus subtilis, B.cereus var. mycoides, Pseudomonas putrefaciens, P.viscosa,

Streptococcus liquefaciens and Proteus spp. are the proteolytic bacteria present in the milk.
These microorganisms hydrolyse milk protein and increase the pH. Proteolysis may be
preceded by coagulation of the casein by the enzyme rennin elaborated by bacteria resulting
in the formation of soluble form of casein. Proteolysis degrades the casein to peptides which
may be further degraded to amino acids which are responsible for alkaline reaction and bitter
taste of milk.
Lipolytic Microorganisms
Some of the microorganisms produce enzyme (lipases) which split milk fat to glycerol
and fatty acids. Some of these fatty acids have a sharp flavour which causes imparting rancid
flavour and odour to milk. Lipolytic microorganisms present in the milk are the bacteria
like Pseudomonas fluorescens, Achromobacter lipolyticum; yeasts,
e.g., Candida lipolytica and molds, e.g., Penicillium spp. andGeotrichum candidum.

Temperature Characteristic Types

On the basis of their optimum temperature for growth and heat resistance, the bacteria
encountered in milk are of the following four types.

 Psychrophilic
 Mesophilic
 Thermoduric
 Thermophilic
Psychrophilic Bacteria

Psychrophilic bacteria (also called cryophilic) grow best at relatively low

temperatures, usually below 10 C. Pasteurized milk stored in a refrigerator may be satis-
factorily preserved for a week or even longer. But eventually microbial deterioration,
manifested by “off” flavour or odour, will become evident because of the accumulation of
metabolic products of psychrophilic bacteria. The latter can be exemplified by species
of Achromobacter, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Alcaligenes and some coliform bacteria.

Mesophilic Bacteria

Mesophilic bacteria grow best between 100C and 450C, usually at 25-400C. Lactic
streptococci and some coliform bacteria are the examples. These are mainly the ‘acid
producing types’. In addition to acid they may produce gas, off flavours in
milk. Streptococcus lactis var. maltigenes produces a malty or caramel taint. Pseudomonas
icthyosmia, however, imparts a fishy flavor.

Thermoduric Bacteria
Thermoduric bacteria survive pasteurization in considerable numbers but do not grow
at pasteurization temperatures. Since they are not killed by pasteurization, they may
contaminate the containers. As a result of the faulty cleaning of the containers the subsequent
 batches of milk processed through the same containers will become heavily
contaminated. Microbacterium lacticum, Micrococcus luteus, Streptococcus
thermophilus and Bacillus subtilis exemplify this category.

Therthophilic Bacteria

Thermophilic bacteria develop best at 55-650C with minimum and maximum of 400C
and 800C respectively. Bacillus stearothermophilus is an example of this type.

Lactic acid bacteria

This group of bacteria is able to ferment lactose to lactic acid. They are normally
present in the milk and are also used as starter cultures in the production of cultured dairy
products such as yogurt. Many lactic acid bacteria have recently been reclassified; the older
names will appear in brackets as you will still find the older names used for convenience sake
in a lot of literature. Some examples in milk are:

 lactococci
 L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis (Streptococcus
 lactis )
 Lactococcus
 lactis subsp. cremoris (Streptococcus
 cremoris )
 lactobacilli
 Lactobacillus casei
 L.delbrueckii subsp. lactis (L. lactis )
 L. delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus (Lactobacillus bulgaricus)
 Leuconostoc
Pathogenic Types

A variety of diseases are potentially transmissible through milk. The source of disease
causing microorganisms occurring in milk may be either the dairy cattle or human. Diseases
transmitted through milk either from infected cows or other sources are listed below:
Source
Diseases Causal organism
Cow Cow Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Man
Other Tuberculosis Micrococcus piogenes
Tuberculosis
Mastitis Brucella abortus
Sore throat
Brucellosis Bacillus anthracis
Undulent fever
Anthrax Salmonella typhi
Anthrax
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Typhoid
Streptococcus pyogenes
Diphtheria
Coxiella brunetti
Sacarlet fever
Vibro come
Q.fever
Selmonella Paretyphi S.typhimurium
Cholera
Enteric
fever