Evaluation of survival patterns and cellular injury of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in different bottled waters stored under various conditions

Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells were inoculated into different waters and sampled after different periods of starvation in order to evaluate the influences of storage under daylight or dark conditions, the presence or absence of the autochthonous flora, the chemical composition of the water and the storage temperature, on survival. Survival was investigated by plate counts on selective and nonselective agar media. Light, low temperature (4C) and presence of the autochthonous flora negatively influenced the survival of P. aeruginosa during starvation in water. Higher survival rates were observed in waters with high mineral content. During starvation, cells developed sensitivity to the selective medium demonstrating that research is needed in the development of new media, or improvement in the existing ones, for the enumeration of P. aeruginosa in water. Current selective media/methodologies for detecting P. aeruginosa in mineral waters may seriously underestimate the levels of or presence of this organism which might represent, in some cases, a hazard to the public health.