The Fallacious Fecal Coliform

The Fecal or Faecal Coliform has been used for > 100 years as an indicator for contamination from a sewage source. There is no such organism. The term “fecal coliform" has no taxonomic significance and bears no definitive relationship to intestinal waste; yet it has been used as the basis for indicating sewage contamination in potable and non-potable water, as well as food and environmental sources by many jurisdictions. The term “Thermotolerant” coliform is biologically correct. Yet many agencies are still reluctant to archive this obsolete terminology. Are there better approaches to assessing the potential for microbial pathogens in our water and food supplies? New technology and detection systems specifically for Escherichia coli, the only definitive thermotolerant coliform associated with sewage, has resulted in the replacement of "fecal" coliform by E. coli by most regulatory agencies.