Rapid detection of Escherichia coli in coastal waters by use of the fluorogenic substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-b-D-glucuronide: preliminary results

The application of an enzymatic assay using the 4-methylumbelliferyl-f}-D-glucuronide (MUG) substrate for the spectrofluorometric détermination of fecal pollution in marine environments is evaluated. Results of the analysis carried out on a total of 80 samples collected from nearshore areas show the présence of significative corrélations between plate (m-FC médium) and microscopical (direct immunofluorescence, IF) counts and the enzymatic methods (r=0.807 and r=0.747 respectively for MUG-FC and MUG-IF). The advantages and the quantitative and qualitative limits to the use of this biochemical assay are discussed.