Evaluation of Microbial Water Quality Tests for Humanitarian Emergency and Development Settings

Abstract How do you know if drinking water is safe? Or which microbial indicator tests work best when few side-by-side performance evaluations exist in real-world field sites? This research compares bacterial indicator test products inlow-resource settings in Ahmedabad, India and Tamale, Ghana. In India, three hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) bacteria test products were evaluated: laboratory-made H 2 S, TARA Aquacheck and ORlab H 2 S, and compared to an EPA-certified standard, the IDEXX Quanti-Tray® 2000. In Ghana, 3 M Petrifilm™, Aquagenx CBT and Easygel® Cards were included in addition toH 2 S and Quanti-Tray® 2000. Results are presented in a Consumer Reports-style for easy comprehension.