IDEXX has announced that its Colilert®-18/Quanti-Tray® test has become the new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) worldwide standard for detecting total coliforms and E. coli in water. The Organization has withdrawn ISO 9308-2:1990, which follows the multiple tube (most probable number) method, and replaced it with ISO 9308-2:2012 using the Colilert-18/Quanti-Tray method.This change is the result of a standard revision process that has taken place over the past three years. The ISO revision process is led by an international committee comprised of scientific, industrial and business sector experts who regularly review current ISO methods and make recommendations for updates and improvements.

"ISO is considered the gold standard for quality around the world, ensuring that products, services and processes are safe and reliable," says Manja Blazer, PhD, Senior Government Affairs Manager, IDEXX Water. "With its publication as an ISO standard, the Colilert- 18/Quanti-Tray method achieves additional global recognition for easy, rapid and accurate detection of coliforms and E. coli in water."

ISO 9308-2:2012, based on Colilert-18/Quanti-Tray, is the first ISO standard to use the new ISO definition of coliforms/E. coli (expression of ß-galactosidase and ß-glucuronidase). It is also the first ISO standard to have been validated using ISO/TR 13843 guidance on validation of microbiological methods.

IDEXX Colilert-18/Quanti-Tray has been extensively validated to detect total coliforms and E. coli in water with quantified results in as few as 18 hours, and with no further confirmation of results required. Combining a simplified testing process with innovative IDEXX technology, the Colilert-18/Quanti-Tray method delivers accurate results that allow laboratories to make confident health and safety decisions more quickly than traditional methods.