Bottle Samples Research Articles

Validation of blood culture gram staining for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus by the \u2018oozing sign\u2019 surrounding clustered gram-positive cocci: a prospective observational study

BackgroundStaphylococcus aureus bacteraemia is a common and significant infection, associated with high rates of mortality. Therefore, early identification is important for the initiation of appropriate treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of blood culture Gram staining along with the finding of an ‘oozing sign’ to diagnose either Staphylococcus aureus or coagulase-negative staphylococci.MethodsThis single-centre, prospective observational study was performed from May 2017 to November 2017. We used routine blood culture bottles (BacT/ALERT FA and BacT/ALERT SN; bioMérieux, Inc., Durham, NC). Bacterial species were identified and the minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by using the MicroScan WalkAway 96 SI system (Beckman Coulter, Tokyo, Japan). Bottles showing growth were removed, and Gram staining was performed.ResultsA total of 118 samples, including 55 aerobic and 63 anaerobic bottle samples, were analysed. The overall sensitivity of Gram staining was 78.7% (95% CI: 65.8–94.3%), and the specificity was 95.0% (95% CI: 84.7–98.4%).ConclusionThe ‘oozing sign’ observed in Gram staining may be useful for the rapid prediction of S. aureus in BacT/ALERT blood culture bottles.

Ceramic morphological organisation in the Southern Caddo Area: Quiddity of shape for Hickory Engraved bottles

This study expands upon the analysis of the Clarence H. Webb collection, which resulted in the identification of two shapes used in the manufacture of Hickory Engraved bottles. The current Caddo bottle sample adduces three-dimensional meshes from the Hickory Engraved specimens in the Webb collection, and 14 new meshes from six sites and one collection. Results confirm that in some cases Hickory Engraved bottle shapes differ significantly by site, that the two shapes identified in the Webb collection persist in this larger sample, and that morphological integration is not significant, meaning that those traits used to characterise bottle shape (rim, neck, body, and base) were not found to vary in a coordinated manner. Thus, these results do not support the hypothesis that Caddo potters adhered to a template of bottle shape associated with the Hickory Engraved motif. When combined with the Webb sample, iterative improvements are achieved, and results demonstrate a general trend toward standardisation in Caddo bottle shapes through time.

Examining the effects of storage on the initiation behaviour of ionic liquids towards the cure of epoxy resins

Four structurally related ionic liquids (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethyl phosphate, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate) are examined for their storage characteristics and the effect on their ability to initiate the cure of epoxy resins. At ambient temperature, epoxy formulations containing 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate display marked colour changes to yield dark red samples with greatly increased viscosity after one day; after six days both samples have undergone vitrification. The epoxy formulation containing 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate continued to polymerise even at sub-zero temperatures. Storage in dark bottles retarded the reaction during the 30-minute period that the sample is removed from the freezer prior to an aliquot being taken, but once the autocatalytic low temperature reaction has started, the dark glass no longer provides effective protection. Samples of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide/epoxy were also stored and sampled in the same manner, but no differences were exhibited between the samples in clear and dark brown glass bottles. Infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance studies confirmed that the hygroscopic ionic liquids pick up water readily (coordinating to the H atom at the 2-position on the imidazolium ring), but once dried the initiating ability is lost.

Determination of Bismuth in Bottled and Mineral Water Samples at Trace Levels by T-Shaped Slotted Quartz tube-Atom Trap-Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

An accurate and reliable analytical method for the determination of bismuth at trace levels in bottled and mineral water samples has been developed based on hydrogen assisted T-shape slotted quartz tube-atom trap-flame atomic absorption spectrometry (T-SQT-AT-FAAS). Conventional FAAS is not sufficiently sensitive to measure trace and ultra-trace levels of metals due to the low nebulization efficiency and short residence time of atoms in the light path. To overcome this problem, atom trapping with a T-shaped slotted quartz tube was coupled to the FAAS system. Bismuth atoms were trapped on the surface of T-SQT and released by hydrogen gas, which provided a reducing environment. All of the system parameters such as flame type, hydrogen flow rate, the height of T-SQT from the burner head, and trapping period were optimized to enhance the analytical signal to attain low detection limits. After obtaining the optimum conditions, the limit of detection and limit of quantitation of the developed method were found to be 0.95 and 3.2 µg L−1, respectively. Recovery values were obtained between 90% and 104% that showed good accuracy and applicability of the proposed method to the analysis of bottled and mineral water samples.

Optimization of the post-acquisition data processing for the non-targeted screening of trace leachable residues from reusable plastic bottles by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry

Food safety regulations for food contact materials (FCM) usually rely on the assessment of chemical migration in order to reduce human exposure to chemical residues that could leach from the FCM into the food. In this field, there is a need for non-targeted analytical tools which can identify unknown or unexpected leachable residues, and therefore avoid unwanted human exposure. In this study, a method based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS) was developed and optimized to investigate leachable residues from 30 reusable plastic bottles. Firstly, a method was validated for the targeted analysis of the 11 bisphenol analogues. None of the bisphenols were detected in the food simulants (ethanol/water; 50:50 v/v), indicating that all tested bottles are free of BPA, and that bisphenol analogues were not applied as BPA replacement in bottle manufacture. The effect of post-acquisition data processing parameters on the feature extraction in non-targeted analysis was then systematically investigated. Several parameters significantly reduced the number of correct identifications of some target trace residues, which confirms that data post-processing has to be carefully optimized to decrease the risk of false negatives. The optimized method was effectively applied to the 30 bottle samples, and monomethyl terephthalate was identified at trace level in food simulants in contact with Tritan™ bottles (migration rate of 0.054 ± 0.002–0.53 ± 0.021 µg cm−2 per 10 days at 40 °C). This method can therefore be applied to study the leachable residues from other FCMs and offer some novel information for human risk assessments.

Radon emanation and heavy-metals assessment of historical warm and cold springs in Nigeria using different matrices

BackgroundIn recent years, attention has been drawn to radon gas as main risk factor for lung cancer. Radon is colourless, odourless and tasteless radioactive noble gas. To mitigate radon effects, water consume by populace needs to be conserved. Radon concentration in water and heavy metals concentrations in sediment samples from historical cold and warm springs at Ikogosi were determined using Durridge RAD-7 analyzer with RAD H2O accessory and atomic absorption spectrophotometer.ResultsThe mean activity concentration of radon in water samples ranged from 0.07 to 0.36 with overall mean value 0.20 Bq L−1, 35–210 with an overall mean value 75.9 Bq L−1 and 11.7–140.0 with an overall mean 79.4 Bq L−1 for bottled, cold and warm water samples respectively. The calculated total effective dose values were below 100 µSv year−1 recommended by WHO. The result of elemental analysis showed that the mean values of metals concentrations were Pb (2.9–11.8 mg kg−1), Cu (3.8–12.8 mg kg−1), Fe (945.0–2010.0 mg kg−1), Cd (0.6–1.7 mg kg−1) and Ni (0.3–2.6 mg kg−1).ConclusionsThe results revealed values not higher than recommended permissible limit and background values. The pollution load index, revealed that the overall contamination of metals indicated no significant pollution in all the studied samples.

Bottled mineral water: classic and temporal descriptive sensory analysis associated with liking

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the classic (static) and dynamic sensory profile of different bottled mineral water samples, and to evaluate the consumer’s liking of the products.Design/methodology/approachClassic quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) were applied to four brands of bottled mineral water and the liking of the products was evaluated by consumers.FindingsThe dissolved mineral concentration is highly correlated to the liking and influences the sensory profile of the samples in a substantial way. The higher the mineral content, the lowest is the liking. Refreshing, residual plastic taste, musty, metallic taste, medicine taste and viscosity were relevant attributes to the samples differentiation through the static evaluation, while refreshing and viscosity were dominant in the dynamic monitoring. Some information might have been lost by the nature of the TDS method, based on dominance concept. Sweet taste contributed positively and musty taste negatively to the acceptance.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrated that TDS can be used as a complementary tool to the QDA, contributing to a deeper comprehension of the differences among samples, even in products with low differences, such as bottled mineral water.

Seasonal patterns in aragonite saturation state on the southern California continental shelf

Shoaling of the saturation horizon for aragonite in the California Current System has been well-documented; however, these reports are based primarily on surveys conducted in waters off the continental shelf. Here we characterize, for the first time, regional spatial and seasonal patterns in aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) in the shallow, nearshore waters of the southern California continental shelf through a series of synoptic surveys. Spectrophotometric pH and total alkalinity samples were collected quarterly from 72 sites along the shelf for two years. Samples were collected using Niskin bottles deployed at 2–3 depths per station (surface, mixed layer, and near-bottom) to characterize site extremes in Ωarag (highest values near the surface, lowest at depth). Ωarag in bottle samples ranged between 3.0 and 0.54 and was strongly associated with density; average Ωarag from samples collected in the top 10 m was 2.5 compared to an average of 1.1 in samples below 100 m. The average depth of corrosive waters (Ωarag < 1) was interpolated for the shelf from the bottle data and was estimated to be an average of 100 m regionally, though there were instances when the saturation horizon rose to less than 20 m depth, primarily in the northern part of the coast during the spring. Ωarag was strongly correlated with dissolved inorganic carbon and dissolved oxygen indicating that patterns in Ωarag were linked to biological processes. The seasonality and spatial patterns we observed on the continental shelf were comparable to those observed by the California Cooperative Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) and West Coast Ocean Acidification (WCOA) programs in offshore southern California waters, suggesting that oceanic forcing is a strong driver defining broad patterns in aragonite saturation state on the shelf.

Electrodeposited Pt@Molecularly imprinted polymer core-shell nanostructure: Enhanced sensing platform for sensitive and selective detection of bisphenol A

A novel electrochemical sensor based on Pt@molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) core-shell nanostructure was developed using a facile electrodeposition method. This unique core-shell nanostructure offered the advantages of large electrode surface area, regular morphology, high selectivity and sensitivity. The poly(3, 6-diamino-9-ethylcarbazole) based MIP shell acted as the recognition element, while the inner Pt nanoparticles acted as a catalytic center. The morphology of the core-shell nanostructure was observed by scanning electron microscopy and the electrochemical property was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. The sensing performance of the Pt@MIP sensor was investigated using the analyte of bisphenol A (BPA). Influence of the polymerization conditions on the performance of the Pt@MIP sensor was investigated. Under the optimized condition, a wide linear range (0.007 μM ∼ 70 μM), a low detection limit (0.0032 μM) and a good selectivity were obtained for the detection of BPA. Finally, the sensor was applied to the detection of BPA in serum and drinking bottle samples with satisfying results.

Simultaneous determination of paraquat and atrazine in water samples with a white light reflectance spectroscopy biosensor

An optical immunosensor based on White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy for the simultaneous determination of the herbicides atrazine and paraquat in drinking water samples is demonstrated. The biosensor allows for the label-free real-time monitoring of biomolecular interactions taking place onto a SiO2/Si chip by transforming the shift in the reflected interference spectrum due to reaction to effective biomolecular layer thickness. Dual-analyte determination is accomplished by functionalizing spatially distinct areas of the chip with protein conjugates of the two herbicides and scanning the surface with an optical reflection probe. A competitive immunoassay format was adopted, followed by reaction with secondary antibodies for signal enhancement. The sensor was highly sensitive with detection limits of 40 and 50 pg/mL for paraquat and atrazine, respectively, and the assay duration was 12 min. Recovery values ranging from 90.0 to 110% were determined for the two pesticides in spiked bottled and tap water samples, demonstrating the sensor accuracy. In addition, the sensor could be regenerated and re-used at least 20 times without significant effect on the assay characteristics. Its excellent analytical performance and short analysis time combined with the small sensor size should be helpful for fast on-site determinations of these analytes.

Polarized but illusory beliefs about tap and bottled water: A product- and consumer-oriented survey and blind tasting experiment

BackgroundDespite the rigorous control of tap water quality, substantial price differences, and environmental concerns, bottled water consumption has increased in recent decades. To facilitate healthy and sustainable consumer choices, a deeper understanding of this "water consumption paradox" is needed. Therefore, the aim of the two present studies was to examine health-related beliefs and risk perceptions and their accuracy by implementing a combined product- and consumer-oriented approach. MethodsAn online survey (N = 578) and a blind taste test (N = 99) assessed perceptions and behaviors for tap and bottled water within primarily tap and bottled water consumers in a fully crossed design. The combined product- and consumer-oriented approach yielded significant consumer × product interaction effects. ResultsThe two consumer groups showed “polarized” ratings regarding perceived quality/hygiene, health risks and taste for bottled and tap water, indicating that the two consumer groups substantially diverged in their beliefs. However, in the blind taste test, neither consumer group was able to distinguish tap from bottled water samples (consumer perspective). Moreover, tap or bottled water samples did not systemically vary in their ascribed health-risk or taste characteristics (product perspective). ConclusionsAlthough the two consumer groups differ greatly in their beliefs, the perceived health risk and taste differences seem to reflect illusionary beliefs rather than actual experiences or product characteristics. Public health campaigns should address these illusions to promote healthy and sustainable consumer choices.

Potential Health Risks of Heavy Metal Contents in Bottled Water from Lagos State and Its Environs, Nigeria

The concentrations of lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), B and Fe in twenty (20) different brands of bottled water samples were investigated to ascertain the risk exposure to consumers using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The concentrations of the heavy metals analyzed varied from bottled water to bottled water samples. The BE bottled water sample was found to contain the least concentration of Pb with a value of 0.0232 mg/l. The risk of chronic daily intake (CDI) was determined based on the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) model for health risk. It was observed that Fe, Mg and Ca reported in all the bottled water samples. The estimated Chronic Daily Intake (CDI) of different metals from the water samples is found to be in order of magnitude of Pb> Fe>Cd>Ni. The highest CDI found in VA, SO, SO, LAT water samples are higher than the International Reference Dose Level according to WHO and USEPA respectively. This study suggest that some bottled water factories should be sited in zones that are safer from these heavy metals if Reverse Osmosis machine for proper removal of these trace elements from the raw water is not in use for water treatment.

Biomonitoring of total mercury in urine: method validation and sample stability

Abstract Biomonitoring of mercury (Hg) in urine can provide valuable information on environmental exposure to inorganic and elemental Hg. However, this requires a method with a sufficiently low detection limit, and in addition, sample stability during storage needs to be addressed. We adapted a method described in the literature to obtain lower detection limits by decreasing dilution and optimizing the amount of reagents used, while also investigating matrix effects, within- and between measurement variability, and accuracy. We tested Hg stability in urine under different storage conditions and using different stabilizers suggested in the literature. A five-fold dilution of the urine sample with addition of optimized amounts of BrCl gave the best results regarding detection limits, which could be further improved by using a gold amalgamation preconcentration step (Autrap). Application of the method in a biomonitoring study allowed detection of Hg in 95% of the samples without Au trap, and resulted in mercury levels that were comparable to similar populations and influenced by expected variables (age, dental amalgam). Regardless of the sample storage conditions of urine samples in polypropylene bottles, Hg decreased during the first days of storage, then slowly regained or exceeded the originally measured concentration. From these experiments, it appears that storage of the samples frozen at -20°C for several weeks prior to analysis, without the addition of additives is the preferred method.

Mycological and Bacteriological Quality and Safety of Bottled Water in Ethiopia.

Background:Safe water supply is vital and can result in significant benefits to health. However, contaminated bottled water poses a great health risk due to the poor microbiological quality of water.Methods and Materials:A retrospective study was conducted on 222 Bottled water samples collected from various regions of Ethiopia from January 2008 to December 2015, tested and recorded in Ethiopian Public Health Institute to determine heterotrophic plate count and Staphylococcus aureus by pour plate method; for coliforms using multiple tubes fermentation techniques; for mould and yeast count using spread method, and for Salmonellae and Shigella spp. using ES ISO 6579 and ES ISO 21567. The data was analyzed using SPSS 20 statistical package.Results:Among the total samples examined from 44 brands, detections of heterotrophic plate count, mould, yeast, total and thermotolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were observed in 114 (51.4%), 33 (14.9%), 5 (2.3%), 2 (0.9%), 1 (0.5%), 1 (0.5%) and 1 (0.5%) samples respectively, but there were no detections of Salmonellae nor Shigellae species.Conclusion:About 40% of bottled water samples were mycologically and bacteriologically unsafe for human consumption. To prevent public health hazards, regular monitoring of bottled water using quality indicators should be a priority agenda.

Determining Performance Metrics for Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Panels Using Reference Materials

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed reference materials for five human genomes. DNA aliquots are available for purchase, and the data, analyses, and high-confidence small variant and homozygous reference calls are freely available on the web. These reference materials are useful for evaluating whole-genome sequencing methods and also can be used to benchmark targeted sequencing panels, which are used commonly in clinical settings. This article describes how to use the Genome in a Bottle samples to obtain performance metrics on any germline-targeted sequencing panel of interest, as well as the limitations of the reference materials. These materials are useful for understanding the limitations of, and optimizing, targeted sequencing panels and associated bioinformatics pipelines. Example figures are presented to illustrate ways to access the performance metrics of targeted sequencing panels, and a table of best practices is included.

Application of molecularly imprinted polymer in solid-phase microextraction coupled with HPLC-UV for analysis of dibutyl phthalate in bottled water and soft drink samples

In this study the optimized molecularly imprinted polymer as a highly selective sorbent toward dibutyl phthalate was used in molecularly imprinted solid‐phase microextraction (MISPME) method as a clean-up and pre-concentration procedure before analysis by high performance liquid chromatography equipped with UV detector (HPLC-UV). The calibration of method was done in canned mineral water and soft drink as free dibutyl phthalate matrices. The calibration curves were plotted in the range of 0.01-2 µg mL−1with linear equations of y = 727.41x + 2.1706 (R2 = 0.9999) and y = 805.96x – 2.9927 (R2 = 0.9999) in canned mineral water and soft drink, respectively. Also limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) value were 3 ng/mL and 0.01 µg/mL, respectively. The recoveries for extraction of dibutyl phthalate were in the range of 90.29% – 98.06%. Finally, calibrated MISPME method coupled to HPLC-UV (MISPME-HPLC-UV) was successfully developed for dibutyl phthalate residue control in commercial plastic bottled mineral water and soft drink samples sold in the market of Mashhad, Iran. Unfortunately, all commercial beverage samples had DPB residueabove the limit of quantification. The results indicated that the calibrated MISPME-HPLC-UV method can be successfully applied for DBP analysis in bottled beverage samples.

Small-sized microplastics and pigmented particles in bottled mineral water

Up to now, only a few studies about microparticle contamination of bottled mineral water have been published. The smallest analysed particle size was 5 μm. However, due to toxicological reasons, especially microparticles smaller than 1.5 μm are critically discussed. Therefore, in the present study, 32 samples of bottled mineral water were investigated for contamination by microplastics, pigment and additive particles. Due to the application of aluminium coated polycarbonate membrane filters and micro-Raman spectroscopy, a lowest analysed particle size of 1 μm was achieved.Microplastics were found in water from all bottle types: in single use and reusable bottles made of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as well as in glass bottles. The amount of microplastics in mineral water varied from 2649 ± 2857 per litre in single use PET bottles up to 6292 ± 10521 per litre in glass bottles. While in plastic bottles, the predominant polymer type was PET; in glass bottles various polymers such as polyethylene or styrene-butadiene-copolymer were found. Hence, besides the packaging itself, other contamination sources have to be considered.Pigment particles were detected in high amounts in reusable, paper labelled bottles (195047 ± 330810 pigment particles per litre in glass and 23594 ± 25518 pigment particles per litre in reusable paper labelled PET bottles). Pigment types found in water samples were the same as used for label printing, indicating the bottle cleaning process as possible contamination route.Furthermore, on average 708 ± 1024 particles per litre of the additive Tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphite were found in reusable PET bottles. This additive might be leached out from the bottle material itself.Over 90% of the detected microplastics and pigment particles were smaller than 5 μm and thus not covered by previous studies. In summary, this is the first study reporting about microplastics, pigment and additive particles found in bottled mineral water samples with a smallest analysed particle size of 1 μm.

Isotopic and Elemental Characterization of Cider Commercialized on Romanian Market

ABSTRACTThirty-two bottled and canned cider samples, purchased from Romanian market, were analyzed for their stable isotope ratios and elemental profiles to verify their authenticity. The determination of δ18O values of water from ciders for the detection of exogenous water and the determination of δ13C from ethanol and dry substance used to evaluate the addition of cane sugar or corn glucose syrup were performed for all the samples. Also, an investigation of the differences that occur in terms of elemental profile among cider samples was performed. All samples from the same producer, besides their natural ingredients, had some exogenous ingredients, which make them different from similar samples from another producer which probably uses other exogenous ingredients. Potassium was the element at the highest concentration in the samples. The heavy metal concentrations do not pose any health risk.

GENETIC EFFECT OF MIGRATORY COMPOUNDS FROM BOTTLED NATURAL DRINKING WATER STORED UNDER DIRECT SUNLIGHT

The drinking water is one of the important routes for human exposure to contaminants through releasing of antimony (Sb) and polymers from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sunlight on chemical compounds migration into PET-bottled water and studying the cytotoxicity of di-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-octyl phthalate (DOP) by SMART in Drosophila melanogaster. Four random water bottle samples produced by various companies as: A (PET, clear, 0.6L), B (PET, clear, 1.5L), C (PET, blue, 1.5L) and D (polycarbonate PC, blue, 19L) for studying the effect of direct sunlight exposure on migration of antimony and phthalates. Experiment was carried out in the presence of sunlight (7 h daily) for 210 day. The migrated compounds profile (µg/L) that detected sample (A) before storage were only two compounds formaldehyde (FA) and acetaldehyde (AA) out of nine compounds. During storage under sunlight, four compounds (Sb), bis-phenol A (BPA), dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) were increased till 30th day then did not affect till the end of storage. Other detected compounds were continuously progressed till the end of storage with different rates. The highest rate was appeared in case of FA, it was 222 fold followed by DOP compound (173 fold) as well as DBP (75.3 fold) and finally the AA compound with 17.9 fold. Regarding to another sample B, only 3 compounds (BPA, DMP and DBP) were not detected at zero time. The AA compound was detected with the highest concentration (0.9µg/L) and the lowest one was DOP (0.007µg/L). Only four compounds were detected before storage named Sb, DOP, FA and AA, the lowest level (0.006µg/L) was noticed in DOP, while the moderate level was recorded in FA (0.03µg/L) and Sb (0.08µg/L). Other detected compounds; i.e. DBP, DOP, AA and FA were consequently increased with higher levels. This study investigated genotoxic effects of (DBP) and (DOP) at 30µg/ml concentration using the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART). The cytotoxicity of the tested phthalate compounds was also assessed at five different concentrations 0.5, 1, 5, 10 and 20µg/ml in two types of human cell lines; liver cancer (HepG2), colon cancer (HCT-116) using neutral red cytotoxicity assay. All of tested compounds significantly showed high levels of tumor induction and frequency compared to the negative control in SMART assay. It was also reduced the viability of the HepG2 cell lines cells using different concentrations and the highest cytotoxic effect. While, on HCT-116 showed no cytotoxic effect.

Population Of Worm Soil Preparation On Land And Management Of Weeds Three District In North Sumatra Province

This research is to know the level of population of tanag worms with some ways of land preparation and weed management in Deli Serdang, Karo, Simalungun Regency. This research was conducted in three places, namely Deli Serdang, Karo and Simalungun District of North Sumatera Province, from July to September 2013. The observation of earthworms was done by quadratic and Hand Sortir method, plot plots were made with frame measuring 30 x 30 cm, soil sampling as deep as 20 cm in each frame then put into container. Sampling starts from 7:00 to 10:00 pm then land is sorted to get earthworms. Earthworms that can be collected and cleaned are then counted and then put into a bottle sample container and preserved with 70% alcohol then the underground worm sample below to the Systematic Laboratory of FMIPA USU to be identified and counted the number of individuals of each species found (Sumi, 1997). The soil worms that have been preserved by using 70% alcohol are first grouped according to their species then determined and identified by morphology using a microscope. Data analysis The type of earthworm and the number of individuals of each type obtained were calculated Population density, Relative density of each type of Attendance and Composition Frequency. The results of the research and identification done on land preparation and weed management on the land in Simalungun, Deli Serdang and Karo regencies are found in the Simalungun Regency there are 2 families: Glossoscoleadae (species Pontoscolex and Megascolex) and Megascolecidae (Megascolex species). In Kabupaten Deli Serdang there is one family Megascolecidae (species Megascolex) and Karo there is 1 family Megascolecidae (species Peryonix)