Chapter 26, Problem 7CT

Summary Introduction

To determine:

The reason that higher incidences of soilborne and waterborne illnesses are not observed despite the large amount of microbes in soil and water.

Introduction:

Soil and water supports the growth ofvariety of microorganisms. This can be advantageous in some situations. For example, the presence of some bacteria in contaminated water helps to digest the poisons. But most of the microbes in water are disease causing. The most common microorganism seen in water is Escherichia coli. Bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, protozoa and algae are the microorganisms commonly seen in soil. The soil microorganisms play major role in determining soil structure and fertility.