Contamination by sewage is the greatest danger associated with water for drinking.

This is because sewage may contain organisms that cause diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and hepatitis.

The bacteria which cause the disease are very small and cannot be seen without a microscope. The

Most common method of counting bacteria is to encourage them to grow to form a colony of bacteria large enough to be seen and counted. It would be very dangerous for the operator if the disease causing organisms were grown, therefore harmless indicator bacteria are used. Indicator organisms are much more common that disease causing organisms and so are easier to detect.  The presence of coliforms, faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci are used to establish whether a water supply has been contaminated with sewage.

Paqualab Incubator System is a Portable Testing System for Drinking Water.

The Paqualab Incubator 50 includes two incubators the Standard and Universal, of which will perform 50 Tests - Faecal & Total Coliforms in one incubation period. Each Incubator has 2 pre-set temperatures normally 37⁰ C and 44⁰C ,  a membrane filtration unit, microbiological accessories kit, connecting cables and operating manual. All components are in a convenient rigid carrying case which can also accommodate a number of electronic meters from the ELE Paqualab range. The system will operate on 12V or 24V DC, 110V or 20V AC or the internal 12V rechargeable battery supplied.