The effect of container-biofilm on the microbiological quality of water used from plastic household containers.

In developing countries, microbial contamination of water for human consumption may occur during the fetching of water from the supply source or during storage at home. This study investigated whether biofilms occurred in PVC storage containers and to determine the effect of the biofilm on the microbial quality of the water. The results show that contaminant build-up on inner container walls contained microorganisms. The biofilm harbours heterotrophic bacteria, total coliforms and C. perfringens. When dislodged with the biofilm, these bacteria contributed substantially to the deterioration of the microbiological quality of supplied water stored in plastic containers. J Water Health 2003;1(3):101-108.