Establishment and early succession of bacterial communities in monochloramine-treated drinking water biofilms

Abstract

Monochloramine is an increasingly used drinking water disinfectant and has been shown to increase nitrifying bacteria and mycobacteria in drinking waters. The potential successions and development of these bacteria were examined by 16S rRNA gene clone libraries generated from various biofilms within a water distribution system simulator. Biofilms were obtained from in-line and off-line devices using borosilicate glass beads, along with polycarbonate coupons from annular reactors incubated for up to 8 months in monochloramine-treated drinking water. No significant difference in community structures was observed between biofilm devices and coupon material; however, all biofilm communities that developed on different devices underwent similar successions over time. Early stages of biofilm formation were dominated by Serratia (29%), Cloacibacterium (23%), Diaphorobacter (16%), and Pseudomonas (7%), while Mycobacterium-like phylotypes were the most predominant populations (> 27%) in subsequent months. The development of members of the nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) after 3 months may impact individuals with predisposing conditions, while nitrifiers (related to Nitrospira moscoviensis and Nitrosospira multiformis) could impact water quality. Overall, 90% of the diversity in all the clone library samples was associated with the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. These results provide an ecological insight into biofilm bacterial successions in monochloramine-treated drinking water.

Impact of disinfection on drinking water biofilm bacterial community

“…Firmicutes has usually been found to be a minor component of DWDS bacterial communities in both in bulk waters (Kormas et al, 2010;Lu et al, 2013;Pinto et al, 2012;Vaz-Moreira et al, 2013), and biofilms (Lin et al, 2013;Liu et al, 2014;Revetta et al, 2013). Our previous study showed that Firmicutes was usually a rare species in pipe biofilms from a real urban DWDS, while in few cases it could be a major component of biofilm bacterial community (Wu et al, 2015).…”

Disentangling mechanisms that mediate the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes in microbial succession

“…Primary succession in microbial communities has been investigated along receding glacier forelands (20,(23)(24)(25)(26)(27), in drinking water biofilms (17,(28)(29)(30), and in the rhizosphere (31)(32)(33)(34). These studies have collectively revealed a broad suite of patterns associated with shifts in community biomass, diversity, and composition, but none has directly characterized shifts in community assembly processes during succession.…”

Biofilms on Hospital Shower Hoses: Characterization and Implications for Nosocomial Infections

“…Previous studies have shown that several organisms associated with DWDS can tolerate the effects of disinfectant compounds because of their ability to form biofilms (4,5). Unlike planktonic forms, bacteria in biofilms are more resistant to sterilization procedures and antimicrobial exposure, showing in some cases a MIC up to 1,000-fold higher than that of their planktonic counterparts (6).…”