Heterotrophic Bacteria Bacteria that use organic (carbon-containing) compounds as a source of energy and carbon.

This characteristic distinguishes heterotrophic bacteria from chemoautotrophic (chemosynthesizing) and photoautotrophic (photosynthesizing) bacteria, which assimilate CO2 as a source of carbon. The overwhelming number of known species of bacteria, both aerobic and anaerobic, are heterotrophic. Many heterotrophic bacteria utilize sugar, alcohol, and organic acids. However, there are specialized heterotrophic bacteria capable also of decomposing cellulose, lignin, chitin, keratin, hydrocarbons, phenol, and other substances. Heterotrophic bacteria are found widely in soil, water, foods, and the bed soil of bodies of water. Heterotrophic bacteria take an active part in the natural recycling of substances. The use of the term Heterotrophic nonpathogenic bacteria by EPA is an attempt to fool the public. These are the gram negative coliform, fecal coliform as well as other types of deadly pathogens. Heterotroph means " An organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition." All animals are heterotrophic, as well as fungi and many bacteria.The term Heterothropic means the organelle of a cell that gets it's nutrience from other living organisms, including a bacteria, person, fungi and animals. In effect, all disease causing pathogens contain Heterothropic functional parts within each cell. Coliform, a group of gram negative bacteria, treated with low levels of disinfectants was used as an indicator of fecal contamination on food and in water until antibiotic resistant and toxin producing genes were picked up by the coliform group and became disease causing pathogens.. Now, fecal coliform (E.coli, an enteric bacteria ) is used as a primary indicator of fecal contamination. We really don't know which strain of E. coli is revealed in the test. However, we do know E. coli 0157 does not show up in the fecal coliform test. Since the mid-90s EPA has encouraged the use of Heterotrophic Bacteria as an indicator of the presence of coliforms in water supplies." EPA states, "There is evidence that heterotrophic bacteria are not hazardous to healthy individuals, but may be opportunistic pathogens capable of infecting individuals with impaired immune systems." The public relation spin on this is, according to WaterTech on line, "The research into possible health effects of heterotrophic bacteria - a name for a range of different microscopic organisms - is led by a small cadre of EPA microbiologists, despite numerous studies that show heterotrophic bacteria do not pose a health risk." Actually, heterotrophic bacteria include all of the coliforms, including fecal coliform, and all of the other disease causing pathogens of concern.