TraditionalREF 610003
Organism · Solutions
Enterococcus testing
Enterococcus is a durable faecal indicator — more resistant to salt, heat and drying than E. coli, which makes it the more reliable signal in matrices where the standard indicator does not survive.
Red-maroon colonies · Slanetz-Bartley agar
Why Enterococcus testing is demanding
Enterococci are used as faecal indicators in the same role as E. coli, but they earn their place through durability. They tolerate salt, survive drying, and withstand heat treatment better than coliforms — so they persist where the standard indicators have already died off.
That makes them the more meaningful indicator in saline waters, processed foods, and matrices that have undergone a treatment step. A negative E. coli result in a salted or dried product may reflect the indicator failing to survive rather than an absence of contamination; enterococci close that gap.
The same durability makes them relevant to recreational and marine water quality standards, where they are frequently the primary specified indicator rather than a supplementary one. The method is straightforward enumeration; interpretation is where the judgement lies.
- Role
- Durable faecal indicator
- Result type
- Enumeration
- Reference method
- ISO 7899-2
- Result
- 44–48 h
Methods compared
Chosen where standard indicators do not survive the matrix.
- Traditional · ISO 7899-2Membrane filtration
Membrane filtration onto Slanetz and Bartley medium with bile aesculin azide confirmation. The reference method for water samples.
Time to result44–48 h - RapidChromogenic formats
Chromogenic media that confirm enterococci at the reading stage, removing the separate confirmation step from routine workflows.
Time to result24 h - MolecularRarely required
Molecular methods are uncommon here — the indicator is quantitative and culture-based enumeration is well established and economical.
Time to resultNot typical
Consider enterococci wherever a treatment or preservation step may have killed E. coli.
Ask usProducts for Enterococcus testing
A selection spanning culture media, rapid formats and molecular assays. The full range is in the catalogue.
Standards & compliance
The references an Enterococcus programme is measured against.
- ISO 7899-2
- Water quality — detection and enumeration of intestinal enterococci by membrane filtration.
- ISO 7899-1
- The miniaturised MPN counterpart for surface and waste water.
- SFDA
- Supplied through an SFDA-licensed establishment, aligned to Kingdom requirements for the matrices you test.
- ISO/IEC 17025
- Suitable for accredited laboratories, with lot documentation and traceability available on request.
Sourced from the brands your methods are built on.
Testing for Enterococcus?
Tell us your matrix and how fast you need a release decision — we'll recommend the method and respond with pricing, availability and lead time.