M enterococcus agar

The chemicals and media utilized in the current study were: DeMan-Rogosa agar (MRS agar) (OXOID), LB broth (Sigma Aldrich), Mueller Hinton (MH) agar (Sigma Aldrich), Trypticase Soy Broth (TSB) (Sigma Aldrich), Plate Count agar (PCA) (Sigma Aldrich), Rose Bengal chloramphenicol (RBCA), (Himedia), Violet Red Bile Agar (VRBA) (Sigma Aldrich), m-Enterococcus agar (Sigma Aldrich), Cu (NO₃)₂ (Sigma Aldrich) and C₁₂H₂₈O₄Ti (Sigma Aldrich).

Escherichiacoli and Enterococcus levels in the samples were evaluated using Membrane Filtration (MF) technique. M-Tec Chromo select Agar (Sigma Aldrich, Johannesburg, South Africa) was prepared for E. coli enumeration while m-Enterococcus Agar (Sigma Aldrich, Johannesburg, South Africa) was used for the determination of enterococci levels. The agars were prepared according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. The samples (100 mL) were filtered through 47 mm sterile membrane filters using a vacuum pump and a manifold by adhering to the protocols of the American Public Health Association [17 ]. The filter paper containing the test organisms was incubated for 24 and 48 h at 37 °C and 45 °C for E. coli and enterococci, respectively. The results were reported as colony-forming units per 100 mL of sample.