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Díaz-Torres O, Los Cobos EOVD, Kreft JU, Loge FJ, Díaz-Vázquez D, Mahlknecht J, Gradilla-Hernández MS, Senés-Guerrero C. A metagenomic study of antibiotic resistance genes in a hypereutrophic subtropical lake contaminated by anthropogenic sources. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 927:172216. [PMID: 38583614 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are a major threat to human and environmental health. This study investigated the occurrence and distribution of ARGs in Lake Cajititlán, a hypereutrophic subtropical lake in Mexico contaminated by anthropogenic sources (urban wastewater and runoff from crop and livestock production). ARGs (a total of 475 genes) were detected in 22 bacterial genera, with Pseudomonas (144 genes), Stenotrophomonas (88 genes), Mycobacterium (54 genes), and Rhodococcus (27 genes) displaying the highest frequencies of ARGs. Among these, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia showed the highest number of ARGs. The results revealed a diverse array of ARGs, including resistance to macrolides (11.55 %), aminoglycosides (8.22 %), glycopeptides (6.22 %), tetracyclines (4 %), sulfonamides (4 %), carbapenems (1.11 %), phenicols (0.88 %), fluoroquinolones (0.44 %), and lincosamides (0.22 %). The most frequently observed ARGs were associated with multidrug resistance (63.33 %), with MexF (42 genes), MexW (36 genes), smeD (31 genes), mtrA (25 genes), and KHM-1 (22 genes) being the most common. Lake Cajititlán is a recreational area for swimming, fishing, and boating, while also supporting irrigation for agriculture and potentially acting as a drinking water source for some communities. This raises concerns about the potential for exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria through these activities. The presence of ARGs in Lake Cajititlán poses a significant threat to both human and environmental health. Developing strategies to mitigate the risks of antibiotic resistance, including improving wastewater treatment, and promoting strategic antibiotic use and disposal, is crucial. This study represents a significant advancement in the understanding of antibiotic resistance dynamics in a hypereutrophic subtropical lake in a developing country, providing valuable insights for the scientific community and policymakers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osiris Díaz-Torres
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramon Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, CP, 45138 Jalisco, México.
| | - Eric Oswaldo Valencia-de Los Cobos
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramon Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, CP, 45138 Jalisco, México
| | - Jan-Ulrich Kreft
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection & School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Frank J Loge
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Ave. Eugenio Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey, N.L. 64849, Mexico
| | - Diego Díaz-Vázquez
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramon Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, CP, 45138 Jalisco, México
| | - Jürgen Mahlknecht
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Ave. Eugenio Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey, N.L. 64849, Mexico
| | - Misael Sebastián Gradilla-Hernández
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramon Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, CP, 45138 Jalisco, México.
| | - Carolina Senés-Guerrero
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramon Corona 2514, Nuevo México, Zapopan, CP, 45138 Jalisco, México.
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Cohen Y, Johnke J, Abed-Rabbo A, Pasternak Z, Chatzinotas A, Jurkevitch E. Unbalanced predatory communities and a lack of microbial degraders characterize the microbiota of a highly sewage-polluted Eastern-Mediterranean stream. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2024; 100:fiae069. [PMID: 38684474 PMCID: PMC11099661 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiae069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater pollution of water resources takes a heavy toll on humans and on the environment. In highly polluted water bodies, self-purification is impaired, as the capacity of the riverine microbes to regenerate the ecosystem is overwhelmed. To date, information on the composition, dynamics and functions of the microbial communities in highly sewage-impacted rivers is limited, in particular in arid and semi-arid environments. In this year-long study of the highly sewage-impacted Al-Nar/Kidron stream in the Barr al-Khalil/Judean Desert east of Jerusalem, we show, using 16S and 18S rRNA gene-based community analysis and targeted qPCR, that both the bacterial and micro-eukaryotic communities, while abundant, exhibited low stability and diversity. Hydrolyzers of organics compounds, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus recyclers were lacking, pointing at reduced potential for regeneration. Furthermore, facultative bacterial predators were almost absent, and the obligate predators Bdellovibrio and like organisms were found at very low abundance. Finally, the micro-eukaryotic predatory community differed from those of other freshwater environments. The lack of essential biochemical functions may explain the stream's inability to self-purify, while the very low levels of bacterial predators and the disturbed assemblages of micro-eukaryote predators present in Al-Nar/Kidron may contribute to community instability and disfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yossi Cohen
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
- Presently at DayTwo, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Julia Johnke
- Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Zoological Institute, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Zohar Pasternak
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
- Presently at the Division of Identification and Forensic Science, Israel Police, National Headquarters
| | - Antonis Chatzinotas
- Department of Applied Microbial Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Talstrasse 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Edouard Jurkevitch
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
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de Guzman I, Elosegi A, von Schiller D, González JM, Paz LE, Gauzens B, Brose U, Antón A, Olarte N, Montoya JM, Larrañaga A. Treated and highly diluted, but wastewater still impacts diversity and energy fluxes of freshwater food webs. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 345:118510. [PMID: 37390732 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have greatly improved water quality globally. However, treated effluents still contain a complex cocktail of pollutants whose environmental effects might go unnoticed, masked by additional stressors in the receiving waters or by spatiotemporal variability. We conducted a BACI (Before-After/Control-Impact) ecosystem manipulation experiment, where we diverted part of the effluent of a large tertiary WWTP into a small, unpolluted stream to assess the effects of a well-treated and highly diluted effluent on riverine diversity and food web dynamics. We sampled basal food resources, benthic invertebrates and fish to search for changes on the structure and energy transfer of the food web with the effluent. Although effluent toxicity was low, it reduced diversity, increased primary production and herbivory, and reduced energy fluxes associated to terrestrial inputs. Altogether, the effluent decreased total energy fluxes in stream food webs, showing that treated wastewater can lead to important ecosystem-level changes, affecting the structure and functioning of stream communities even at high dilution rates. The present study shows that current procedures to treat wastewater can still affect freshwater ecosystems and highlights the need for further efforts to treat polluted waters to conserve aquatic food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioar de Guzman
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena S/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain.
| | - Arturo Elosegi
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena S/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Daniel von Schiller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose M González
- Department of Biology and Geology, Physics and Inorganic Chemistry, Rey Juan Carlos University, Tulipán S/n, 28933, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Laura E Paz
- Instituto Multidisciplinario Sobre Ecosistemas y Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Nacional Del Centro de La Provincia de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Campus Universitario, Paraje Arroyo Seco S/n, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. C.C 712-1900, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Benoit Gauzens
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena- Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biodiversity, University of Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena- Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biodiversity, University of Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Alvaro Antón
- Department of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences Didactics, Faculty of Education of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena S/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Nuria Olarte
- Department of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences Didactics, Faculty of Education of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena S/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - José M Montoya
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, French National Center for Scientific Research, Moulis, France
| | - Aitor Larrañaga
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena S/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain
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Dai T, Su Z, Zeng Y, Bao Y, Zheng Y, Guo H, Yang Y, Wen D. Wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge decreases bacterial community diversity and network complexity in urbanized coastal sediment. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 322:121122. [PMID: 36681378 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent discharge affects the microorganisms in the receiving water bodies. Despite the ecological significance of microbial communities in pollutant degradation and element cycling, how the community diversity is affected by effluent remains obscure. Here, we compared the sediment bacterial communities exposed to different intensities of WWTP effluent discharge in Hangzhou Bay, China: i) a severely polluted area that receives effluent from an industrial WWTP, ii) a moderately polluted area that receives effluent from a municipal WWTP, and iii) less affected area that inner the bay. We found that the sediment bacterial diversity decreased dramatically with pollution levels of inorganic nutrients, heavy metals, and organic halogens. Microbial community assembly model analysis revealed increased environmental selection and decreased species migration rate in the severely polluted area, resulting in high phylogenetic clustering of the bacterial communities. The ecological networks were less complex in the two WWTP effluent receiving areas than in the inner bay area, as suggested by the smaller network size and lower modularity. Fewer negative network associations were detected in the severely (6.7%) and moderately (8.3%) polluted areas than in the less affected area (16.7%), indicating more collaborative inter-species behaviors are required under stressful environmental conditions. Overall, our results reveal the fundamental impacts of WWTP effluents on the ecological processes shaping coastal microbial communities and point to the potential adverse effects of diversity loss on ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianjiao Dai
- School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, China; College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhiguo Su
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yufei Zeng
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yingyu Bao
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yuhan Zheng
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Huaming Guo
- School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, China
| | - Yunfeng Yang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
| | - Donghui Wen
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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Kodera SM, Sharma A, Martino C, Dsouza M, Grippo M, Lutz HL, Knight R, Gilbert JA, Negri C, Allard SM. Microbiome response in an urban river system is dominated by seasonality over wastewater treatment upgrades. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2023; 18:10. [PMID: 36805022 PMCID: PMC9938989 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00470-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microorganisms such as coliform-forming bacteria are commonly used to assess freshwater quality for drinking and recreational use. However, such organisms do not exist in isolation; they exist within the context of dynamic, interactive microbial communities which vary through space and time. Elucidating spatiotemporal microbial dynamics is imperative for discriminating robust community changes from ephemeral ecological trends, and for improving our overall understanding of the relationship between microbial communities and ecosystem health. We conducted a seven-year (2013-2019) microbial time-series investigation in the Chicago Area Waterways (CAWS): an urban river system which, in 2016, experienced substantial upgrades to disinfection processes at two wastewater reclamation plants (WRPs) that discharge into the CAWS and improved stormwater capture, to improve river water quality and reduce flooding. Using culture-independent and culture-dependent approaches, we compared CAWS microbial ecology before and after the intervention. RESULTS Examinations of time-resolved beta distances between WRP-adjacent sites showed that community similarity measures were often consistent with the spatial orientation of site locations to one another and to the WRP outfalls. Fecal coliform results suggested that upgrades reduced coliform-associated bacteria in the effluent and the downstream river community. However, examinations of whole community changes through time suggest that the upgrades did little to affect overall riverine community dynamics, which instead were overwhelmingly driven by yearly patterns consistent with seasonality. CONCLUSIONS This study presents a systematic effort to combine 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with traditional culture-based methods to evaluate the influence of treatment innovations and systems upgrades on the microbiome of the Chicago Area Waterway System, representing the longest and most comprehensive characterization of the microbiome of an urban waterway yet attempted. We found that the systems upgrades were successful in improving specific water quality measures immediately downstream of wastewater outflows. Additionally, we found that the implementation of the water quality improvement measures to the river system did not disrupt the overall dynamics of the downstream microbial community, which remained heavily influenced by seasonal trends. Such results emphasize the dynamic nature of microbiomes in open environmental systems such as the CAWS, but also suggest that the seasonal oscillations remain consistent even when perturbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho M Kodera
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Anukriti Sharma
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Cameron Martino
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Mark Grippo
- Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Holly L Lutz
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rob Knight
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jack A Gilbert
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Cristina Negri
- Environmental Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Lemont, IL, USA.
| | - Sarah M Allard
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Xie S, Wang W, Li N, Wen C, Zhu S, Luo X. Effect of Drying-Rewetting cycles on the metal adsorption and tolerance of natural biofilms. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 327:116922. [PMID: 36462490 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Drying-rewetting (D-RW) cycles can induce changes in biofilms by forcing the microbial community to tolerate and adapt to environmental pressure. Existing studies have mostly focused on the impact of D-RW cycles on the microbial community structure, and little attention has been paid to how D-RW cycles may change the biofilm tolerance and adsorption of heavy metals. We experimentally evaluated the effect of repeated D-RW cycles on the Cd2+ and Pb2+ adsorption and tolerance of biofilms. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of the biofilm decreased as the number of D-RW cycles was increased, which was attributed to a change in affinity between the biofilm and metal ions. For a binary metal system, the D-RW cycles affected the competitive adsorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ by the biofilm. A synergistic effect was observed with one and three D-RW cycles, while an antagonistic effect was observed for the control film and five D-RW cycles. The tolerance of the biofilm to Cd2+ and Pb2+ increased with the number of D-RW cycles. The stress from the D-RW cycles may have increased the relative abundance of drought-tolerant bacteria, which altered the biofilm functions and thus indirectly affected the heavy metal adsorption capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Xie
- Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Wenwen Wang
- Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Nihong Li
- Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Chen Wen
- Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Shijun Zhu
- Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Xia Luo
- Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Kunming 650500, China.
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Zhang L, Bai J, Zhang K, Wei Z, Wang Y, Liu H, Xiao R, Jorquera MA. Characterizing bacterial communities in Phragmites australis rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere sediments under pressure of antibiotics in a shallow lake. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1092854. [PMID: 36560949 PMCID: PMC9763296 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1092854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Antibiotics are ubiquitous pollutants and widely found in aquatic ecosystems, which of rhizosphere sediment and rhizosphere bacterial communities had certain correlation. However, the response of bacterial communities in Phragmites australis rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere sediments to antibiotics stress is still poorly understood. Methods To address this knowledge gap, the samples of rhizosphere (R) and non-rhizosphere (NR) sediments of P. australis were collected to investigate the differences of bacterial communities under the influence of antibiotics and key bacterial species and dominate environmental factors in Baiyangdian (BYD) Lake. Results The results showed that the contents of norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP) and total antibiotics in rhizosphere sediments were significantly higher than that in non-rhizosphere sediments, meanwhile, bacterial communities in non-rhizosphere sediments had significantly higher diversity (Sobs, Shannon, Simpsoneven and PD) than those in rhizosphere sediments. Furthermore, total antibiotics and CIP were found to be the most important factors in bacterial diversity. The majority of the phyla in rhizosphere sediments were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Campilobacterota, while Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi was the most abundant phyla followed by Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota in non-rhizosphere sediments. The dominate factors of shaping the bacterial communities in rhizosphere were total antibiotics, pH, sediment organic matter (SOM), and NH4-N, while dissolved organic carbon (DOC), NO3-N, pH, and water contents (WC) in non-rhizosphere sediments. Discussion It is suggested that antibiotics may have a substantial effect on bacterial communities in P. australis rhizosphere sediment, which showed potential risk for ARGs selection pressure and dissemination in shallow lake ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Zhang
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China,School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Junhong Bai
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Junhong Bai,
| | - Kegang Zhang
- Department of Environmental Engineering and Science, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, China
| | - Zhuoqun Wei
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yaqi Wang
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Haizhu Liu
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Rong Xiao
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, FuZhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Milko A. Jorquera
- Laboratorio de Ecología Microbiana Aplicada (EMALAB), Departamento de Ciencias Químicas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
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Carles L, Wullschleger S, Joss A, Eggen RIL, Schirmer K, Schuwirth N, Stamm C, Tlili A. Wastewater microorganisms impact microbial diversity and important ecological functions of stream periphyton. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 225:119119. [PMID: 36170769 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Effluents of wastewater treatment plants can impact microbial communities in the receiving streams. However, little is known about the role of microorganisms in wastewater as opposed to other wastewater constituents, such as nutrients and micropollutants. We aimed therefore at determining the impact of wastewater microorganisms on the microbial diversity and function of periphyton, key microbial communities in streams. We used a flow-through channel system to grow periphyton upon exposure to a mixture of stream water and unfiltered or ultra-filtered wastewater. Impacts were assessed on periphyton biomass, activities and tolerance to micropollutants, as well as on microbial diversity. Our results showed that wastewater microorganisms colonized periphyton and modified its community composition, resulting for instance in an increased abundance of Chloroflexi and a decreased abundance of diatoms and green algae. This led to shifts towards heterotrophy, as suggested by the changes in nutrient stoichiometry and the increased mineralization potential of carbon substrates. An increased tolerance towards micropollutants was only found for periphyton exposed to unfiltered wastewater but not to ultra-filtered wastewater, suggesting that wastewater microorganisms were responsible for this increased tolerance. Overall, our results highlight the need to consider the role of wastewater microorganisms when studying potential impacts of wastewater on the receiving water body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Carles
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Simon Wullschleger
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Adriano Joss
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Rik I L Eggen
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kristin Schirmer
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland; School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nele Schuwirth
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Stamm
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Ahmed Tlili
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland.
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Xuan Y, Mai Y, Xu Y, Zheng J, He Z, Shu L, Cao Y. Enhanced microbial nitrification-denitrification processes in a subtropical metropolitan river network. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 222:118857. [PMID: 35868099 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Urban rivers are hotspots of regional nitrogen (N) pollution and N transformations. Previous studies have reported that the microbial community of urban rivers was different from that of natural rivers. However, how microbial community affects N transformations in the urban rivers is still unclear. In this study, we employed N nutrients-related isotope technology (includes natural-abundance isotopes survey and isotope-labeling method) and bioinformatics methods (includes 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR analysis) to investigate the major N transformations, microbial communities as well as functional gene abundances in a metropolitan river network. Our results suggested that the bacterial community structure in the highly urbanized rivers was characterized by higher richness, less complexity and increased abundances of nitrification and denitrifying bacterium compared to those in the suburban rivers. These differences were mainly caused by high sewage discharge and N loadings. In addition, the abundances of nitrifier gene (amoA) and denitrifier genes (nirK and nirS) were significantly higher in the highly urbanized rivers (2.36 × 103, 7.43 × 107 and 2.28 × 107 copies·mL-1) than that in the suburban rivers (0.43 × 103, 2.18 × 107 and 0.99 × 107 copies·mL-1). These changes in microbes have accelerated nitrification-denitrification processes in the highly urbanized rivers as compared to those in the suburban rivers, which was evidenced by environmental isotopes and the rates of nitrification (10.52 vs. 0.03 nmol·L-1·h-1) and denitrification (83.31 vs. 22.49 nmol·g-1·h-1). Overall, this study concluded that the excess exogenous N has significantly shaped the specific aquatic bacterial communities, which had a potential for enhancing nitrification-denitrification processes in the highly urbanized river network. This study provides a further understanding of microbial N cycling in urban river ecosystems and expands the combined application of isotopic technology and bioinformatics methods in studying biogeochemical cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingxue Xuan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yingwen Mai
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yunqiu Xu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jianyi Zheng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhili He
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Longfei Shu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Yingjie Cao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
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10
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Lu Q, Mao J, Xia H, Song S, Chen W, Zhao D. Effect of wastewater treatment plant discharge on the bacterial community in a receiving river. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 239:113641. [PMID: 35597140 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is an important water resource for some rivers in regions with relatively low precipitation, which may pose ecological risks. Various pollutants and microorganisms are discharged into rivers, along with the WWTP effluent, but this process has not been thoroughly studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of WWTP effluent on the bacterial community in the sediment and water column of an urban river and to identify the relationship between the total and active bacterial communities. Five sites were sampled in the river, including the most upstream site of the river (Up-most), 200 m upstream of the WWTP (Up-200), at the point of effluent discharge of the WWTP (Eff-pl) and 50 m (Down-50) and 1000 m (Down-1000) downstream of the WWTP. Compared with the two upstream sites (Up-most and Up-200), the bacterial species composition of Eff-pl was significantly different (p < 0.05) in both the sediment and water columns, while the bacterial species composition at Down-1000 was significantly different (p < 0.05) in the sediment but not in the water. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota and Verrucomicrobiota was significantly different (p < 0.05) at Eff-pl in both the sediment and water columns compared with that at the upstream sites. The shared bacterial species between the DNA and RNA 16 S rRNA analyses were only 45.5-62.2% and 43.2-52.3% for the sediment and water, respectively. Accordingly, WWTP effluent drainage significantly alters (p < 0.05) the bacterial composition in the receiving river but can be recovered in water within a short distance. However, in sediment, a longer recovery space is probably needed. Analyses of the combination of total and active bacterial compositions are recommended to evaluate the ecological consequences of WWTP effluent drainage on the bacterial composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Lu
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China
| | - Junbo Mao
- Sinohydro Bureau 11 Co., Ltd, Zhengzhou 450001, PR China
| | - Haijun Xia
- Sinohydro Bureau 11 Co., Ltd, Zhengzhou 450001, PR China
| | - Siyuan Song
- Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou 311122, PR China
| | - Wenjuan Chen
- Sinohydro Bureau 11 Co., Ltd, Zhengzhou 450001, PR China
| | - Dehua Zhao
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China.
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11
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Zhang Y, Huo Y, Zhang Z, Zhu S, Fan W, Wang X, Huo M. Deciphering the influence of multiple anthropogenic inputs on taxonomic and functional profiles of the microbial communities in Yitong River, Northeast China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:39973-39984. [PMID: 35112248 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-18386-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We conducted the analysis of physicochemical parameters, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to explore the impact of human inputs on the bacterioplankton communities within a tributary of the largest river flowing through a megacity in northeast China. Agriculture largely accounted for the alteration of diversity and functions of the microbial communities. Furthermore, nitrate and total phosphorus declined at the reservoir outlet. The WWTP effluent discharge caused a decrease of the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria, while the impact on the variation of alpha diversity of river microbial community was slight. Carbon fixation and nitrogen cycle varied with the change of land use type. The rare taxa contributed with a predominant role in the response to environmental variables and NH3-N as well as NO3--N were the main environmental factors that drove the shift in the bacterial community. The occurrence of the human-specific fecal indicator was mostly derived from agriculture, and its increase in relative abundance was observed in the WWTP effluent. Thus, our study provides guidance for ecological assessment and management of rivers by revealing the response pattern of river bacterioplankton to multiple types of anthropogenic stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhang
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Yang Huo
- Science and Technology Innovation Center for Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Water Quality Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China.
- School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
| | - Zhiruo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun, 130118, China
| | - Suiyi Zhu
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
- Science and Technology Innovation Center for Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Water Quality Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Wei Fan
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Xianze Wang
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
- Science and Technology Innovation Center for Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Water Quality Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Mingxin Huo
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Science and Technology Innovation Center for Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Water Quality Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China.
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12
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Paruch L. Molecular Diagnostic Tools Applied for Assessing Microbial Water Quality. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:5128. [PMID: 35564522 PMCID: PMC9105083 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Microbial water quality is of vital importance for human, animal, and environmental health. Notably, pathogenically contaminated water can result in serious health problems, such as waterborne outbreaks, which have caused huge economic and social losses. In this context, the prompt detection of microbial contamination becomes essential to enable early warning and timely reaction with proper interventions. Recently, molecular diagnostics have been increasingly employed for the rapid and robust assessment of microbial water quality implicated by various microbial pollutants, e.g., waterborne pathogens and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs), imposing the most critical health threats to humans and the environment. Continuous technological advances have led to constant improvements and expansions of molecular methods, such as conventional end-point PCR, DNA microarray, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), multiplex qPCR (mqPCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), digital droplet PCR (ddPCR), and high-throughput next-generation DNA sequencing (HT-NGS). These state-of-the-art molecular approaches largely facilitate the surveillance of microbial water quality in diverse aquatic systems and wastewater. This review provides an up-to-date overview of the advancement of the key molecular tools frequently employed for microbial water quality assessment, with future perspectives on their applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Paruch
- Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research-NIBIO Oluf Thesens vei 43, 1433 Aas, Norway
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13
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Benthic Biofilm Bacterial Communities and Their Linkage with Water-Soluble Organic Matter in Effluent Receivers. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19041994. [PMID: 35206183 PMCID: PMC8872271 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19041994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Benthic biofilms are pioneering microbial aggregates responding to effluent discharge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, knowledge of the characteristics and linkage of bacterial communities and water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) of benthic biofilms in effluent-receiving rivers remains unknown. Here, we investigated the quality of WSOM and the evolution of bacterial communities in benthic biofilm to evaluate the ecological impacts of effluent discharge on a representative receiving water. Tryptophan-like proteins showed an increased proportion in biofilms collected from the discharge area and downstream from the WWTP, especially in summer. Biofilm WSOM showed weak humic character and strong autochthonous components, and species turnover was proven to be the main factor governing biofilm bacteria community diversity patterns. The bacterial community alpha diversity, interspecies interaction, biological index, and humification index were signally altered in the biofilms from the discharge area, while the values were more similar in biofilms collected upstream and downstream from the WWTP, indicating that both biofilm bacterial communities and WSOM characters have resilience capacities. Although effluent discharge simplified the network pattern of the biofilm bacterial community, its metabolic functional abundance was basically stable. The functional abundance of carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism in the discharge area increased, and the key modules in the non-random co-occurrence network also verified the important ecological role of carbon metabolism in the effluent-receiving river. The study sheds light on how benthic biofilms respond to effluent discharge from both ecological and material points of view, providing new insights on the feasibility of utilizing benthic biofilms as robust indicators reflecting river ecological health.
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14
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Tamminen M, Spaak J, Tlili A, Eggen R, Stamm C, Räsänen K. Wastewater constituents impact biofilm microbial community in receiving streams. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 807:151080. [PMID: 34678363 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Microbial life in natural biofilms is dominated by prokaryotes and microscopic eukaryotes living in dense association. In stream ecosystems, microbial biofilms influence primary production, elemental cycles, food web interactions as well as water quality. Understanding how biofilm communities respond to anthropogenic impacts, such as wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, is important given the key role of biofilms in stream ecosystem function. Here, we implemented 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequencing of stream biofilms upstream (US) and downstream (DS) of WWTP effluents in four Swiss streams to test how bacterial and eukaryotic communities respond to wastewater constituents. Stream biofilm composition was strongly affected by geographic location - particularly for bacteria. However, the abundance of certain microbial community members was related to micropollutants in the wastewater - among bacteria, micropollutant-associated members were found e.g. in Alphaproteobacteria, and among eukaryotes e.g. in Bacillariophyta (algal diatoms). This study corroborates several previously characterized responses (e.g. as seen in diatoms), but also reveals previously unknown community responses - such as seen in Alphaproteobacteria. This study advances our understanding of the ecological impact of the current wastewater treatment practices and provides information about potential new marker organisms to assess ecological change in stream biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manu Tamminen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland.
| | - Jenny Spaak
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Switzerland
| | - Ahmed Tlili
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, Eawag, Switzerland
| | - Rik Eggen
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, Eawag, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Switzerland; Dept. of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
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15
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Wang J, Chen Y, Cai P, Gao Q, Zhong H, Sun W, Chen Q. Impacts of municipal wastewater treatment plant discharge on microbial community structure and function of the receiving river in Northwest Tibetan Plateau. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 423:127170. [PMID: 34537645 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents carrying plenty of nutrients and micropollutants pose serious threats to receiving rivers, however, the response of microbial community structure and function to WWTP effluents discharge is still poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, paired water and sediment samples from 17 sites of the Huangshui River, and effluents from 6 WWTPs were collected to investigate the effect of WWTP discharge on riverine microbial communities. Our results revealed that WWTP effluents exerted significant effects on planktonic rather than sedimentary microorganisms in the receiving river. Notably, lower diversity and richness of planktonic communities were observed in the effluent-influenced section (WRW) than other river sections (RW) along the urban river. Meanwhile, network analysis potentially revealed lower stability of co-occurrence patterns of microbial communities in WRW. The remarkably higher antibiotics, nitrate-nitrogen, and water temperature in WRW samples caused by WWTPs played essential roles in shaping the structure and function of planktonic microbial communities. This study suggested the enrichment of multiple-drug resistance genes and destruction of energy metabolisms were caused by sewage effluents, and highlighted the importance of effective management strategies for protecting the ecological health of the receiving river.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawen Wang
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Materials Flux in River Ecosystems, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ying Chen
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Pinggui Cai
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qiang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
| | - Haohui Zhong
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Materials Flux in River Ecosystems, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Weiling Sun
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Materials Flux in River Ecosystems, Beijing 100871, China; State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
| | - Qian Chen
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Materials Flux in River Ecosystems, Beijing 100871, China; State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China.
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16
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Correa Velez KE, Norman RS. Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals That Municipal Wastewater Effluent Enhances Vibrio vulnificus Growth and Virulence Potential. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:754683. [PMID: 34759904 PMCID: PMC8573347 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.754683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vibrio vulnificus is an opportunistic pathogen indigenous to estuarine and marine environments and associated with aquatic organisms. Vibrio vulnificus is of utmost importance because it causes 95% of the seafood-related deaths in the United States due to rapid progression of septicemia. Changes in environmental parameters associated with climate change and coastal population expansion are altering geographical constraints, resulting in increased Vibrio spread, exposure, and rates of infection. In addition, coastal population expansion is resulting in increased input of treated municipal sewage into areas that are also experiencing increased Vibrio proliferation. This study aimed to better understand the influence of treated sewage effluent on effluent-receiving microbial communities using Vibrio as a model of an opportunistic pathogen. Integrated transcriptomic approaches were used to analyze the changes in overall gene expression of V. vulnificus NBRC 15645 exposed to wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent for a period of 6h using a modified seawater yeast extract media that contained 0, 50, and 100% filtered WWTP effluent. RNA-seq reads were mapped, annotated, and analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes using the Pathosystems Resource Integration Center analysis tool. The study revealed that V. vulnificus responds to wastewater effluent exposure by activating cyclic-di-GMP-influenced biofilm development. Also, genes involved in crucial functions, such as nitrogen metabolism and bacterial attachment, were upregulated depending on the presence of treated municipal sewage. This altered gene expression increased V. vulnificus growth and proliferation and enhanced genes and pathways involved in bacterial survival during the early stages of infection in a host. These factors represent a potential public health risk due to exposure to environmental reservoirs of potentially Vibrio strains with enhanced virulence profiles in coastal areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karlen Enid Correa Velez
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, NIEHS Center for Oceans and Human Health and Climate Change Interactions, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Robert Sean Norman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, NIEHS Center for Oceans and Human Health and Climate Change Interactions, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
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17
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Carles L, Wullschleger S, Joss A, Eggen RIL, Schirmer K, Schuwirth N, Stamm C, Tlili A. Impact of wastewater on the microbial diversity of periphyton and its tolerance to micropollutants in an engineered flow-through channel system. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 203:117486. [PMID: 34412020 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an important role in retaining organic matter and nutrients but to a lesser extent micropollutants. Therefore, treated wastewater is recognized as a major source of multiple stressors, including complex mixtures of micropollutants. These can potentially affect microbial communities in the receiving water bodies and the ecological functions they provide. In this study, we evaluated in flow-through channels the consequences of an exposure to a mixture of stream water and different percentages of urban WWTP effluent, ranging from 0% to 80%, on the microbial diversity and function of periphyton communities. Assuming that micropollutants exert a selective pressure for tolerant microorganisms within communities, we further examined the periphyton sensitivity to a micropollutant mixture extracted from passive samplers that were immersed in the wastewater effluent. As well, micropollutants in water and in periphyton were comprehensively quantified. Our results show that micropollutants detected in periphyton differed from those found in water, both in term of concentration and composition. Especially photosystem II inhibitors accumulated in periphyton more than other pesticides. Although effects of other substances cannot be excluded, this accumulation may have contributed to the observed higher tolerance of phototrophic communities to micropollutants upon exposure to 30% and 80% of wastewater. On the contrary, no difference in tolerance was observed for heterotrophic communities. Exposure to the gradient of wastewater led to structural differences in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities. For instance, the relative abundance of cyanobacteria was higher with increasing percentage of wastewater effluent, whereas the opposite was observed for diatoms. Such results could indicate that differences in community structure do not necessarily lead to higher tolerance. This highlights the need to consider other wastewater constituents such as nutrients and wastewater-derived microorganisms that can modulate community structure and tolerance. By using engineered flow-through channels that mimic to some extent the required field conditions for the development of tolerance in periphyton, our study constitutes a base to investigate the mechanisms underlying the increased tolerance, such as the potential role of microorganisms originating from wastewater effluents, and different treatment options to reduce the micropollutant load in effluents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Carles
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Simon Wullschleger
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Adriano Joss
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Rik I L Eggen
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kristin Schirmer
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nele Schuwirth
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Stamm
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Ahmed Tlili
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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18
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The Effect of the Effluent from a Small-Scale Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plant Treating Municipal Wastewater on the Composition and Abundance of the Microbial Community, Antibiotic Resistome, and Pathogens in the Sediment and Water of a Receiving Stream. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13060865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are major contributors of nutrients, microbes—including those carrying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs)—and pathogens to receiving waterbodies. The effect of the effluent of a small-scale activated sludge WWTP treating municipal wastewater on the composition and abundance of the microbial community as well as the antibiotic resistome and pathogens in the sediment and water of the receiving stream and river was studied using metagenome sequencing and a quantitative approach. Elevated Bacteroidetes proportions in the prokaryotic community, heightened sulfonamide and aminoglycoside resistance determinants proportions, and an increase of up to three orders of magnitude of sul1–sul2–aadA–blaOXA2 gene cluster abundances were recorded in stream water and sediments 0.3 km downstream of a WWTP discharge point. Further downstream, a gradual recovery of affected microbial communities along a distance gradient from WWTP was recorded, culminating in the mostly comparable state of river water and sediment parameters 3.7 km downstream of WWTP and stream water and sediments upstream of the WWTP discharge point. Archaea, especially Methanosarcina, Methanothrix, and Methanoregula, formed a substantial proportion of the microbial community of WWTP effluent as well as receiving stream water and sediment, and were linked to the spread of ARGs. Opportunistic environmental-origin pathogens were predominant in WWTP effluent and receiving stream bacterial communities, with Citrobacter freundii proportion being especially elevated in the close vicinity downstream of the WWTP discharge point.
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19
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Qiu Z, Zhang S, Ding Y, Zhang W, Gong L, Yuan Q, Mu X, Fu D. Comparison of Myriophyllum Spicatum and artificial plants on nutrients removal and microbial community in constructed wetlands receiving WWTPs effluents. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 321:124469. [PMID: 33296776 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of WWTPs effluents on nutrients removal and epiphytic microbial community in constructed wetlands dominated by submersed macrophytes remain to be fully illustrated. In this study, compared to M. Spicatum, artificial submersed macrophytes (control) generally had higher NH4+-N (78.35% vs 80.52%) and TN (73.35% vs 90.25%) removal rates and similar COD (70.64% vs 70.80%) and TP (59.86% vs 60.82%) removal rates in wetlands receiving simulated effluents of WWTPs (GB18918-2002). Microbial population richness was higher in epiphytic biofilms on M. Spicatum than artificial ones, and substrates played the most decisive role in determining the microbial diversities. Network analysis revealed that there were more complex interactions among environmental parameters, bacteria and eukaryotes in M. Spicatum systems than in artificial ones. Nutrients in effluents could cause damage to M. Spicatum. The results highlight that artificial plants have better performance on effluents deep treatments than submerged plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Qiu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Songhe Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China.
| | - Yan Ding
- Kunshan Water Affairs Bureau, Kunshan 215300, China
| | - Wenjun Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Lixue Gong
- Jiangsu Environmental Science Consulting Co., Ltd, Nanjing 210036, China
| | - Qiang Yuan
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Xiaoying Mu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Dongwang Fu
- Nanjing Water Planning and Designing Institute. Corp. Ltd, China
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