The Survival of Coliforms, Streptococcus faecalis and Salmonella tennessee in the Soil and Climate of Israel

The utilization of sewage in agriculture has lately been receiving increasing attention in many countries. The question is especially important in a country with limited water resources like Israel where insufficient rainfall must be supplemented by irrigation. In order to evaluate the public health hazard involved, it is necessary, among other things, to obtain information on the survival of enteric organisms in the soil. This subject has been reviewed extensively and summarized by Rudolfs et al. (1950). The purpose of the present investigation, which was started early in 1951, is to study the survival of enteric bacteria in the soil under the field conditions obtained in Israel. The climate is characterized by long, hot, and dry summers and resembles that of the San Joachim Valley in California.