Coliform presence without APC or YM

Hi all,

The lab we send our samples to has been botching our test results. Today we received presence of coliform (2.1 MPN/g) in finished chocolates. This is unusual, in fact first occurrence, for us. It tested <10 APC, <10 Y/M, <0.3 MPN E.coli.

From micro standpoint, can there be coliform without other microorganism present? 

I think facultative anaerobe is the limit in the definition of what qualifies as coliforms.  No strict anaerobes.  The numbers work though, 2.1 and 0.3 are less than 10.

I'm not a microbiologist but <10 isn't absence, as alluded to above, your coliform and e-coli results could be within that TVC result due to dilution.  It's not like 1000 coliforms and <10 TVC which would feel really odd.

Is it unusual though?  Yes it is a bit.  Can they ID the coliform and E-Coli?