Assessing Microbial Communities for a Metabolic Profile Similar to Activated Sludge

Abstract

To search for reliable testing inocula alternatives to activated sludge cultures, several model microbial consortia were compared with activated sludge populations for their functional diversity. The evaluation of the metabolic potential of these mixed inocula was performed using the Biolog EcoPlates and GN and GP MicroPlates (Biolog, Inc., Hayward, California). The community-level physiological profiles (CLPPs) obtained for model communities and activated sludge samples were analyzed by principal component analysis and hierarchic clustering methods, to evaluate the ability of Biolog plates to distinguish among the different microbial communities. The effect of different inocula preparation methodologies on the community structure was also studied. The CLPPs obtained with EcoPlates and GN MicroPlates showed that EcoPlates are suitable to screen communities with a metabolic profile similar to activated sludge. New, well-defined, standardized, and safe inocula presenting the same metabolic community profile as activated sludge were selected and can be tested as surrogate cultures in activated-sludge-based bioassays. Water Environ. Res., 79, 536 (2007).

Standardization of activated sludge for biodegradation tests

“…Several workers have pointed out the need for a certified biological material with the same metabolic potential as an activated sludge that can be used for quality control and to provide traceability [38][39][40][41]. So, the use of surrogate cultures has been proposed to fulfil the need of an activated sludge with constant characteristics.…”

“…Another approach consists in using a representative model composed of a reduced number of bacterial species. Well-defined mixtures containing 4 to 8 selected bacterial strains in equal proportions were compared with an activated sludge in terms of substrate utilization patterns measured by Biolog plates [41]. The strains studied were Acinetobacter sp., Enterobacter sp., Xanthomonas sp., Staphylococcus capitis, Pseudomonas sp., P. putida, Bacillus subtilis, and B. cereus, which are nonpathogenic species commonly found in water and soil.…”

Analysis on Metabolic Functions of Stored Rice Microbial Communities by BIOLOG ECO Microplates

“…The BIOLOG ECO microplate is a relatively simple method, which is commonly applied to characterize the diversity of community-level physiological profiles ( Rutgers et al, 2016 ; Feigl et al, 2017 ; Jiang et al, 2017 ). It is a novel method based on the biological and biochemical properties, thereby achieving quick characterization of the ecological status of environmental samples ( Agata et al, 2014 ), such as sediments ( Lopes et al, 2016 ), wastewater ( Zhang et al, 2014 ), activated sludge ( Paixão et al, 2007 ), and soils ( Rutgers et al, 2016 ; Al-Dhabaan and Bakhali, 2017 ). However, there were little researches analyzing microbial functions of microbial communities by BIOLOG ECO microplates in the area of rice storage.…”

The Application of the Biolog EcoPlate Approach in Ecotoxicological Evaluation of Dairy Sewage Sludge

“…During the past few years, there has been much effort to develop method and protocols which could guarantee the safety of industrial products as well as the protection and control of wastewater treatment plants [ 19 ]. Biolog EcoPlate approach could be helpful in estimating the effect of test factors on mixed bacterial communities in the aquatic environment.…”