INVESTIGATION OF MINERAL WATER SPRINGS OF MIERCUREA CIUC (CSÍKSZEREDA) REGION (ROMANIA) WITH CULTIVATION-DEPENDENT MICROBIOLOGICAL METHODS I. MÁTHÉ 1 , A. TÁNCSICS 2 ,ÉVA GYÖRGY 1 ,ZSUZSANNA POHNER 2 , P. VLADÁR 2 , ANNA J. SZÉKELY 2 and K. MÁRIALIGETI 2 * 1 Department of Technical and Natural Sciences, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Miercurea Ciuc, Piaoa Libertaoii 1, Ro-530104 Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda), Romania 2 Department of Microbiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary (Received: 22 March 2010; accepted: 30 March 2010) Water samples of ten mineral water springs at Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda) region (Romania) were examined during 2005–2006 using cultivation-dependent mi- crobiological methods. The results of standard hygienic bacteriological tests showed that the Hargita Spring had perfect and five other springs had microbiologically ac- ceptable water quality (Zsögöd-, Nagy-borvíz-, Taploca-, Szentegyháza- and Lobogó springs). The water of Borsáros Spring was exceptionable (high germ count, presence of Enterococcus spp.). Both standard bacteriological and molecular microbiological methods indi- cated that the microbiological water quality of the Szeltersz-, Nádasszék- and Délõ springs was not acceptable. Bad water quality resulted from inadequate spring catch- ment and hygiene (low yield, lack of runoff, negligent usage of the springs, horse ma- nure around the spring). The 16S rRNA gene-based identification of strains isolated on standard meat-peptone medium resulted in the detection of typical aquatic organisms such as Shewanella baltica, Aeromonas spp., Pseudomonas veronii, Psychrobacter sp,. Acinetobacter spp. and allochthonous microbes, like Nocardia, Streptomyces, Bacil- lus, Microbacterium, and Arthrobacter strains indicating the impact of soil. Other allochthonous microbes, such as Staphylococcus spp., Micrococcus sp., Lactococcus sp., Clostridium butyricum, Yersinia spp., Aerococcus sp., may have originated from animal/human sources. Keywords: mineral water, hygienic microbiology, cultivation, rRNA gene se- quence comparison 1217-8950/$20.00 © 2010 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica, 57 (2), pp. 109–122 (2010) DOI: 10.1556/AMicr.57.2010.2.4 * Corresponding author; E-mail: mariak@elte.hu