Effects of pollutants on the aquatic environment

7.3 Faecal streptococci

The faecal streptococci group of bacteria consists of the species Streptococcus faecalis (Figure 9), S. faecium, S. durans, S. equinus and S. bovis. The bacteria are approximately 1 µm in diameter and occur in chains of varying length. They die fairly quickly outside their host, so their presence is indicative of recent pollution.

Figure 9  Streptococcus faecalis
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