Testing R-Cards for CaSTCo partners

CaSTCo partners are testing out a method for testing for e.coli. This page is a holding space for some guidance during the trials. Thank you to Mississippi State University and Kentucky for their leadership in implementing this! As always, let’s learn from people 🙂

You will have been given some R-Cards. We’re currently testing E. coli only cards. However, you can get their ECC-A, which also has total coliforms. The reason we’re trying out E. coli only is that the volunteers at the ZERO Community Lab found the total coliforms overwhelming and confusing to distinguish (especially if colonies are on top of one another). With the single parameter, we increase our user’s experience and give them the answers they’re most interested in.

To use the cards, you will need to purchase:

• 1mL pipettes (either a precision one, or a single use one). These should be sterile.
• An incubator that can maintain a constant temperature of 35 degrees celsius. You can buy an egg incubator from Amazon for about £35.
• Gloves (you’ll be lifting the film and that needs to be sterile)

How-to video from Kentucky Watershed Watch

Some resources:

• Mississippi Stewards have a mini certification process
• Link to course (Mississippi State Extension)

Testing

We’re testing a combination of user experience and accuracy. Please take triplicates and send your results to Kat. If you have access to a lab, please provide a comparison. Please also record on the user experience. We’re looking at putting together a kit for distribution. Right now, importing is expensive (shipping cost and import duties). If we like it, we can look at local distribution options, especially for smaller-scale use.

First trials: