NC Beaches and Bacteria
The Bad Bacteria
Enterococci is one of the bad bacteria. The fact that is was in the water means that there is some kind of fecal contamination in the water. Their concentrations in marine coastal waters correlate with health risks for people swimming in the water. Enterococci is becoming more and more resistant to the antibiotics used to fight it.
The Good Bacteria
Many deep-sea fish harbor symbiotic bacteria that emit light, which the fish use to signal other members of their species.The bacteria's ability to emit light is called bioluminescence. Bioluminescence causes water to glow.