Good Bacteria

Researchers from the University of Lund, Sweden discovered that a glass of clean drinking water contains about ten million good bacteria that purifies the water and keeps it safe. They report that these microscopic bacteria grow at water treatment plants as well as on the inside of water pipes known as biofilm.

This biofilm covers all surfaces from the raw water intake to the tap. The discovery reveals the diversity and role of bacteria species living in water pipes that were previously unknown.

Researcher Catherine Paul from Lund University said, “A previously completely unknown ecosystem has revealed itself to us. Formerly, you could hardly see any bacteria at all and now, thanks to techniques such as massive DNA sequencing and flow cytometry, we suddenly see eighty thousand bacteria per millilitre in drinking water”.