Detection of endotoxins from selected drinking water microbiota using an LAL-based assay and its implications for human health.

Endotoxins are pyrogenic lipopolysaccharides from Gram-negative bacteria that are known to induce fever, septic shock, and multiple organ failure, posing a substantial risk to human health. Drinking water systems are especially prone to home microbiomes containing a large variety of Gram-negative bacteria. Consumption of water from these systems in developed countries is generally regarded as non-hazardous to humans due to the low number of non-pathogenic bacterial cells per milliliter and oral admission.