Transmission of specific groups of bacteria through water distribution system.

Microbial contamination of a water distribution system was examined. The number and the taxonomy of non-pigmented and pigmented heterotrophic bacteria (HB), number of bacteria (Pseudomonas sp., Enterococcus sp., Campylobacter sp., Yersinia sp., representatives of the Enterobacteriaceae, coagulase-positive staphylococci, and C. pefringens) in the bulk water phase, biomass of zoogloeal aggregates of bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and rotifers (ZABFAPR) (separated from the above on 5 microm pore size filters) and in pipe sediments was determined. An increased number of HB occurred at the sampling sites situated as close as 4.2 km to the Water Treatment Plant (WTP), and was especially significant at 10.3 km. It was shown that the main reservoir of hygienically relevant bacteria did not occur in the water phase which is monitored in routine control analyses carried out by the WTP laboratories, but in the ZABFAPR biomass not monitored so far.