Overall, the results from this study reinforced the idea that earthworms
contributed to shorter survival of coliforms (Eastman et al.,
2001) but this was only clearly visible in small-scale batch treatments
with sterile substrate. As opposed to Eastman et al. (2001)
whoobserved an important difference between a control sewage
sludge row and similar row inoculated with E. fetida (both with
normal microbial rich communities) as early as day one, we only
observed the effect of earthworms in fresh vermicompost later in
time.