Method for the detection of bacteria comprising the steps of A) providing a suspension comprising at least one species of labelled test bacteriophages which specifically bind to a bacterial species to be detected, wherein the label is specific to the respective species of test bacteriophages; B) addition of a sample to be tested for the presence of at least one species of bacteria to be detected to the suspension; C) mixing the sample with the suspension and incubation of the reaction mixture; D) filtering the reaction mixture through a filter, wherein the filter has a pore size of 0.1 μm to 0.5 μm and the pore size of the filter used is selected such that the at least one bacterial species to be detected and bacteria-bacteriophage-complexes, which consist of bacteria of the at least one bacterial species to be detected and test bacteriophages of the at least one species bound thereto, are retained and immobilized on the filter surface while unbound bacteriophages (2, 6) can pass the filter; E) detection of bacteria-bacteriophage-complexes in the supernatant, provided that at least one bacterial species to be detected is present, wherein the complexes consist of bacteria of the at least one bacterial species to be detected and test bacteriophages of the at least one species bound thereto; F) detection of unbound test bacteriophages in the filtrate; G) processor-aided processing of received signals generated by the detection in steps E) and F) and output of detection results to a user, characterized in that the suspension further comprises a labelled reference bacteriophage which does not bind to any bacterial species to be detected and which has a label disjunct relative to the test bacteriophages so that the labelled reference bacteriophage is also detected in step F); or in that labelled micro- or nanoparticles are used in alternative to a labelled reference bacteriophage, which cannot bind to any bacterial species to be detected and can pass the filter due to their small size. A) providing a suspension comprising at least one species of labelled test bacteriophages which specifically bind to a bacterial species to be detected, wherein the label is specific to the respective species of test bacteriophages; B) addition of a sample to be tested for the presence of at least one species of bacteria to be detected to the suspension; C) mixing the sample with the suspension and incubation of the reaction mixture; D) filtering the reaction mixture through a filter, wherein the filter has a pore size of 0.1 μm to 0.5 μm and the pore size of the filter used is selected such that the at least one bacterial species to be detected and bacteria-bacteriophage-complexes, which consist of bacteria of the at least one bacterial species to be detected and test bacteriophages of the at least one species bound thereto, are retained and immobilized on the filter surface while unbound bacteriophages (2, 6) can pass the filter; E) detection of bacteria-bacteriophage-complexes in the supernatant, provided that at least one bacterial species to be detected is present, wherein the complexes consist of bacteria of the at least one bacterial species to be detected and test bacteriophages of the at least one species bound thereto; F) detection of unbound test bacteriophages in the filtrate; G) processor-aided processing of received signals generated by the detection in steps E) and F) and output of detection results to a user,