BACTERIAL SPECIES IN RAW AND CURED COMPOST FROM A LARGE-SCALE URBAN COMPOSTER

Raw and cured compost samples from a large-scale urban composter were studied over a period of eight months to gain information on bacterial species present. Total viable, aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, lactose-positive bacteria, antibiotic and metal-resistant bacteria and thermophilic bacteria were enumerated. Both raw and cured compost samples contained metal and antiobiotic-tolerant bacteria (<Log 3.0 to Log 8.5 CFU g-1 compost) as well as high numbers (as high as Log 7.4 CFU g-1 dry weight compost) of thermophilic bacteria isolated by growth at 55-degrees-C. Selected colonies were also identified using the Biolog 95 substrate identification system. Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. were not detected in compost samples.