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Molina CA, Quiroz-Moreno C, Jarrín-V P, Díaz M, Yugsi E, Pérez-Galarza J, Baldeón-Rojas L. Bacterial community assessment of drinking water and downstream distribution systems in highland localities of Ecuador. J Water Health 2024; 22:536-549. [PMID: 38557569 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2024.290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial communities in drinking water provide a gauge to measure quality and confer insights into public health. In contrast to urban systems, water treatment in rural areas is not adequately monitored and could become a health risk. We performed 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to analyze the microbiome present in the water treatment plants at two rural communities, one city, and the downstream water for human consumption in schools and reservoirs in the Andean highlands of Ecuador. We tested the effect of water treatment on the diversity and composition of bacterial communities. A set of physicochemical variables in the sampled water was evaluated and correlated with the structure of the observed bacterial communities. Predominant bacteria in the analyzed communities belonged to Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. The Sphingobium genus, a chlorine resistance group, was particularly abundant. Of health concern in drinking water reservoirs were Fusobacteriaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae; these families are associated with human and poultry fecal contamination. We propose the latter families as relevant biomarkers for establishing local standards for the monitoring of potable water systems in highlands of Ecuador. Our assessment of bacterial community composition in water systems in the Ecuadorian highlands provides a technical background to inform management decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Alfonso Molina
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Cdla. Universitaria y Gaspar de Carvajal s/n., 170521 Quito, Ecuador; Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis (CIZ), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Cdla. Universitaria y Gaspar de Carvajal s/n., 170521, Quito, Ecuador E-mail:
| | - Cristian Quiroz-Moreno
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus OH 43210
| | - Pablo Jarrín-V
- Laboratorio de Secuenciamiento de Ácidos Nucleicos, Dirección de Gestión de la Innovación, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad INABIO, Pje. Rumipamba N341 y Av. de los Shyris, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Magdalena Díaz
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis (CIZ), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Cdla. Universitaria y Gaspar de Carvajal s/n., 170521, Quito, Ecuador; Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Ritter s/n y Bolivia, 170521 Quito, Ecuador; Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), University of Valencia and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Carrer del Catedràtic Agustín Escardino Benlloch, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Elizabeth Yugsi
- Centro de Biotecnología 'Dr Daniel Alkalay Lowitt', Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, General Bari 699, 2390136, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Jorge Pérez-Galarza
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Iquique N14-121 y Sodiro, Quito, Ecuador; Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Capitán Giovanni Calles y Derby, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lucy Baldeón-Rojas
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Iquique N14-121 y Sodiro, Quito, Ecuador; Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Capitán Giovanni Calles y Derby, Quito, Ecuador
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