Portable turbidimetric device for in-time monitoring of bacterial contamination in drinking water

Microbial contamination of drinking water can affect public health with acute effects even after short-term consumption. The delays and limitations of current methods of drinking water quality control hinder rapid responses to unforeseen contamination incidents. Therefore, we designed and developed a compact and cost-effective device that can be integrated into the continuous processes of water treatment plants for indicative monitoring and in-time detection of bacterial contamination. The flow-through analyzer operates by real-time culturing bacteria and measuring turbidity, allowing the analysis of bacterial contamination with high sensitivity – detection of a single cell per 100 mL in a temperature-controlled environment was successfully demonstrated. Practical verification of the method efficacy was conducted using water samples obtained from a local water treatment facility. Furthermore, the analyzer was tested to assess the potential for enhancing selectivity by increasing the operating temperature from 37 °C to 44 °C. This allows more selective detection of E. coli , a model organism of fecal contamination, in contrast to other bacterial strains typically present at low concentrations in drinking water. • A cost-effective device for in-time detection of bacterial contamination in water • Capability of continuous on-site monitoring • Simple device construction and robust performance for pre-screening measurements • Comparison of device performance with reference methods • Enhanced E. coli detection selectivity by modulation of measurement temperature