SHORT COMMUNICATION
Microbial Contamination of Screenings
from Wastewater Treatment Plants
Monika Szostkova1, Tomas Vitez2, Jan Marecek2, Tomas Losak1
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1Department of Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition,
2Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Engineering,
Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2012;21(6):1943-1947
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Screenings represent the type of waste resulting from the primary treatment of wastewater. Their content
varies significantly and it depends on numerous factors. The microbial contamination of screenings has
not yet been monitored in detail; therefore, information in this area is either insufficient or unavailable. Our
objective was to analyze the indicative microorganisms present in the screenings from wastewater treatment
plants. Faecal thermo-tolerant coliform bacteria, coliform bacteria, and enterococci were monitored during
microbial analyses. All tested samples proved the presence of the aforementioned microorganisms (in different
concentrations). Furthermore, some samples confirmed the presence of Salmonella sp. bacteria, which
originate from the faecal solids getting to the trash screens of the wastewater treatment plants together with
contaminated water.