MBL is Proficient For Bacteria Testing

The Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation Inc.(CALA) has rated MBL proficient for the following bacteria testing:

Test Parameter	Method Of Analysis	Status
Escherichia coli (E. coli)	Membrane Filtration (DC-Agar)	Proficient
Fecal (Thermotolerant) Coliforms	Membrane Filtration (mFC)	Proficient.
Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC)	Membrane Filtration (PCA)	Proficient
Total Coliforms	Membrane Filtration (DC-Agar)	Proficient.
Escherichia coli (E. coli)	Presence/Absence	Proficient
Total Coliforms	Presence/Absence	Proficient.

Coliform Bacteria

The coliform bacteria are used as indicators of potential health risk for water. Coliforms are divided into 2 groups; total coliforms, i.e., all the coliform bacteria; and the fecal coliforms. The fecal coliforms are dominated by Escherichia coli (E. coli). E. coli are common in human intestines and they are generally harmless. However, some strains such as 0157 can cause serious infections.

Presence of fecal coliforms in water is widely accepted as indicator of potential contamination of water with fecal material. Contamination of water with fecal material presents greater risk of infectious microorganism such as viruses, other bacteria, protozoa and even worms.