Introduction:Jar w ater is a convenient and common source of drinking w ater in the Kathmandu
Valley. How ever, studies including detailed microbial analyses of this source of potable w ater are
lacking. In this study, jar w ater samples w ere examined for the occurrence of Cryptosporidium,
Giardia, fecal indicator bacteria, and total bacteria.
M ethods:! irty di"erent brands of jars w ere collected in September 2014. Escherichia coli and
total coliforms w ere determined using a Colilert reagent. Ten of the 30 brands w ere selected to test
for Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and total bacteria. Bacterial DNA extraction from w ater samples
w as performed using the Cica Geneus DNA Extraction Kit, follow ed by quantitative polymerase
chain reaction (qPCR) targeting the 16S rRNA gene of bacterial DNA. Protozoan detection w as
accomplished by concentrating the samples using the electronegative membrane vortex method,
follow ed by immunomagnetic separation and #uorescent staining.