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Flow cytometric method to monitor the viability of microbial populations in drinking water
Maršálková, Eliška ; Makieieva, Y. ; Kovar, K.
The microbiome of natural water from an artesian well (i.e., bottled water of this origin) was characterised using a method combining staining with fluorescence dyes and cell counting by flow cytometry. These investigations revealed the microbial fingerprint of such high-quality drinking water (i.e., containing about 14 thousands cells per mL) as well as changes in total cell count (TCC), dead cell count (DCC) and the ratio of living cells with high (HNA) and low (LNA) nucleic acid content. Hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and free radicals were produced in water exposed to CaviPlazma, while cell viability was reduced, both within the original microbiome and in an inoculated laboratory culture of E. coli. In this treated water, microbial cells died, total cell counts decayed by lysis and dissolved assimilable carbon (AOC) increased. Unique findings from these laboratory experiments facilitate our understanding of the effects of oxidation processes on the viability of microorganisms as well as the potential future use of these technologies for drinking water disinfection and protection against regrowth of possible contaminants.
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