International Journal of Food Microbiology 92 (2004) 239 240

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Editorial

Heterotrophic Plate Count

IJFM Introduction
The HPC, or standard plate count, is the internationally accepted test for measuring heterotrophic
microorganism populations in drinking water. HPC
tests, however, do not distinguish between pathogenic
and non-pathogenic microorganisms, and they account for only a small and undefined portion of the
organisms that are present.
This special issue of the Journal contains 13 of the
40 papers presented at the NSF International/World
Health Organization Symposium on HPC Bacteria in
Drinking WaterHealth Implications held in Geneva,
Switzerland from April 22 to 24, 2002. The Symposium addressed the role of the Heterotrophic Plate
Count (HPC) measurement in drinking water quality
management. More than 180 participants from 27
countries representing academia, government, industry, public health organizations, water supply and
trade associations participated in this symposium.
These, as well as the other 27 papers, formed the
background for the WHO Expert Meeting examining
the HPC issue on April 25 and 26, 2002 at WHO
Headquarters in Geneva. The WHO Expert Panel
Consensus Report is included in this special issue.
The major issues addressed at the NSF/WHO
Symposium included:


the relationship between HPC in drinking water

(including that derived from in-line treatment
systems, dispensers and bottled water) and health
risks for the general public;
 the role of HPC as an indirect indicator or index for
pathogens in drinking water;
 the role of HPC in assessing the efficacy and
proper functioning of water treatment and supply
processes; and
0168-1605/$ - see front matter D 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.
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the relationship between HPC and the aesthetic

acceptability of drinking water.

The historic origin of the HPC test dates back to

1883 and the pioneering work of Robert Koch. The
HPC test medium exists in many formulations, but a
particularly widely used version was developed in
1985 by Donald Reasoner and Edwin Geldreich.
Koch saw no evidence of the presence of pathogens
among the common microorganisms measured in the
test. Early on he warned of the danger of false
conclusions of health risks based upon those colony
counts alone. He did show, however, that his test was
valuable as an indicator of the performance of filtration systems which, in their proper operation, could
reduce pathogens in treated drinking water and therefore the incidences of waterborne disease.
Although some pathogens can be isolated from
drinking water on HPC media, most, if not all, of the
microorganisms detected with this test are not human
pathogens. Furthermore, there is no constant ratio of
pathogens to heterotrophic bacteria and, therefore,
the HPC test is not an effective means of indicating
the presence of pathogens in drinking water. This
finding has been confirmed by health studies that
have shown that human populations exposed to
heterotrophic bacteria did not exhibit excess illness
or infections.
High levels of microbial growth can affect the taste
and odor of drinking water and may well indicate the
presence of nutrients and biofilms, as well as the
possibility that some event has interfered with the
normal production of the drinking water.
HPC counts also routinely increase in water that
has been treated by an in-line device such as a carbon

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Editorial

filter or softener, in water-dispensing devices and in

bottled waters and indeed in all water that has suitable
nutrients and does not have a residual disinfectant.
However, there is no firm evidence that non-pathogenic bacterial growth as measured by HPC is accompanied by increased risk of illness among
consumers. On the other hand, there is some evidence
that the presence of the indigenous non-harmful
bacteria may challenge the survival of pathogens that
may be present in biofilms and on surfaces. There is
concern that some immuno-compromised persons
may be at risk from exposure to otherwise harmless
bacteria if exposure is excessive.
Consequently, there is honest debate among professionals as to the need, utility or quantitative basis
for health-based standards or guidelines relating to
HPC-measured micro-organisms in drinking water.
The WHO Expert Panel Report, supported in part
by the papers presented at the Symposium, addressed
that debate and provided consensus conclusions that
we hope will provide a basis for appropriate interpretation of HPC data that are produced from water.
As indicated above, that Report is included in this
special issue.
We hope that the papers presented in this special
issue provide additional useful information and perspective on the utility and the limitations of HPC data
in the management and operation of piped water
systems as well as other means of providing drinking
water to the public.
We acknowledge the efforts of all of the committee
members and authors, and to the major sponsors
NSF International and the World Health Organization.
The WHO Expert Panel Meeting and Report were
funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Health Canada, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the American Waterworks
Association Research Foundation, and the NSF Center

for Public Health Education. We also acknowledge the

Symposium sponsorship by stakeholder associations
who contributed to the success of the Symposium, and
are listed in the event summary on the web at http://
www.nsf.org/conference/hpc/hpc_report.html.
Jamie Bartram *
World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia,
Geneva 1211, Switzerland
E-mail address: bartramj@who.int
Joseph Cotruvo1
J. Cotruvo Associates/NSF International,
5015 46th Street NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
E-mail address: joseph.cotruvo@verizon.net
Al Dufour 2
US EPA, 26 W Martin Luther King Drive,
Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
E-mail address: Dufour.alfred@epa.gov
Stan Hazan3
NSF Center for Public Health Education,
789 North Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
E-mail address: hazan@nsf.org
Bob Tanner4
NSF International-Brussels,
148 Avenue Grand Champ, 1150 Brussels, Belgium
E-mail address: btanner@nsf.org

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +41-22-791-1295; fax: +41-22791-4159.

1
Tel.: +1-202-362-3076; fax: +1-202-362-3076.
2
Tel.: +1-513-569-7330; fax: +1-513-569-7464.
3
Tel.: +1-734-769-5105; fax: +1-734-827-6840.
4
Tel.: +32-2-771-3654; fax: +32-2-763-0013.