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Assessment of Reliability of H2S Strip Test for the Screening of Drinking Water Samples for Faecal Contamination

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The addition of human and animal excreta in drinking water causes biological contamination leading to serious health issues for consumers, especially in develo** countries. The hydrogen sulphide (H2S) paper-strip test is an inexpensive method for the detection of faecal contamination in water. This test is simple and easy to use and is widely used in develo** countries like India for routine testing. This study was intended at evaluating the performance of the H2S test method for the reliable detection of faecal coliforms in drinking water. The performance was assessed by matching its output against established tests used for the quantitative evaluation of faecal coliforms in drinking water. The Colilert-18 test and traditional spread plate method were used to compare the findings of 102 water samples that were examined using the H2S test kit. The coliform detection limit of the H2S kit was observed as 30.0 MPN/100 ml when incubated at 35 °C and requires up to 36 h of incubation time. The H2S kit’s sensitivity and specificity were found to be 61.76% and 70.59%, respectively, indicating that it is an unsuitable test for detecting microbial contamination. The study suggests that there is an urgent need for the development of better alternatives.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Water and Sanitation Support Organization (WSSO), PHED, Jaipur, Government of Rajasthan, India (Sanction No. WSSO/WQ/2016-2017/ 4794, dated 16.01.2017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, IIS (Deemed to be University), Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302020, India

    Ashish Tambi

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302017, India

    Urmila Brighu & A. B. Gupta

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Significance Statement The H2S test kit is currently in use in many parts of the world, especially in develo** countries like India for the detection of faecal coliforms in drinking water samples. It is the commonly used for assessing microbial contamination and therefore, it is essential to assess the suitability of the H2S test kit in terms of limit and time of detection, sensitivity and specificity of the kit.

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Tambi, A., Brighu, U. & Gupta, A.B. Assessment of Reliability of H2S Strip Test for the Screening of Drinking Water Samples for Faecal Contamination. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., India, Sect. B Biol. Sci. 94, 407–412 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40011-023-01544-6

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