Recovery of Escherichia coli from soil after addition of sterile organic wastes

Laboratory batch tests indicate that addition of sterile municipal sewage biosolids to clay soil from four depths increases the numbers of Escherichia coli isolates recoverable in EC-MUG broth (EC broth with 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-glucuronide). This effect was most marked for the deeper soil layers, with increases of about 2.6 orders of magnitude in E. coli most probable number.