Extensive bacterial diversity indicates the potential operation of a dynamic micro-ecology within domestic rainwater storage systems

Evans, Craig A.; Coombes, Peter J; Dunstan, R. Hugh; Harrison, Tracey

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.06.009

Cited by 45 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…In spite of its potential benefits, there are doubts regarding harvested rainwater quality because it might contain unknown airborne microbes (2,22,75). Studies of microbial contamination in rainwater have typically focused on atmospheric deposition of airborne bacteria (14), but this is the first study to investigate the airborne viruses present in rainwater. This study found that the RD-rain virome had a similar composition to the RD virome, suggesting that rainfall provides direct deposition of airborne viruses from the atmosphere.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metagenomic Characterization of Airborne Viral DNA Diversity in the Near-Surface Atmosphere

Whon

Kim

Roh

et al. 2012

J Virol

117

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Airborne viruses are expected to be ubiquitous in the atmosphere but they still remain poorly understood. This study investigated the temporal and spatial dynamics of airborne viruses and their genotypic characteristics in air samples collected from three distinct land use types (a residential district [RD], a forest [FR], and an industrial complex [IC]) and from rainwater samples freshly precipitated at the RD site (RD-rain). Viral abundance exhibited a seasonal fluctuation in the range between 1.7 ؋ 10 6 and 4.0 ؋ 10 7 viruses m ؊3 , which increased from autumn to winter and decreased toward spring, but no significant spatial differences were observed. Temporal variations in viral abundance were inversely correlated with seasonal changes in temperature and absolute humidity. Metagenomic analysis of air viromes amplified by rolling-circle phi29 polymerase-based random hexamer priming indicated the dominance of plant-associated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) geminivirus-related viruses, followed by animal-infecting circovirus-related sequences, with low numbers of nanoviruses and microphages-related genomes. Particularly, the majority of the geminivirus-related viruses were closely related to ssDNA mycoviruses that infect plant-pathogenic fungi. Phylogenetic analysis based on the replication initiator protein sequence indicated that the airborne ssDNA viruses were distantly related to known ssDNA viruses, suggesting that a high diversity of viruses were newly discovered. This research is the first to report the seasonality of airborne viruses and their genetic diversity, which enhances our understanding of viral ecology in temperate regions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metagenomic Characterization of Airborne Viral DNA Diversity in the Near-Surface Atmosphere

Whon

Kim

Roh

et al. 2012

J Virol

117

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“…We compared the bacterial phyla identified in this study with those in previous studies. These five phyla were also found in aerosol particles (Bowers et al, 2016) and other aquatic samples, such as lake water samples (Zeng et al, 2014), rain water samples (Evans et al, 2009;Kaushik et al, 2013;Peter et al, 2014) and river water samples (Kovatch and Schultz, 2013). But in the different kinds of samples, the dominant bacteria phylum was diverse and the relative abundance of the same bacteria phylum differed greatly (Table S4).…”

Section: Bacterial Community In Cloud Water Samples At Mt Taimentioning

confidence: 94%

Chemical Composition and Bacterial Community in Size-Resolved Cloud Water at the Summit of Mt. Tai, China

Zhu

Chen

Wang

et al. 2018

Aerosol Air Qual. Res.

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A three-stage collector was used to collect size-resolved cloud samples at the summit of Mt. Tai. Subsequently, analyses of pH values, water-soluble ions, and trace metals were performed and bacterial community were conducted using MiSeq amplicon sequencing. The pH values of the samples decreased as droplet sizes decreased. Sulfate (SO 4 2-), nitrate (NO 3 -) and ammonium (NH 4 + ) were the main secondary inorganic ions which their concentration distributed significantly different from size-resolved cloud water. The NH 4 + concentration was higher in smaller droplets. The SO 4 2-and NO 3 -concentrations were higher in larger droplets. The Ca 2+ concentration increased as droplet size increased. Small droplet samples tended to have lower pH value, mainly because of the more acidic (SO 4 2-and NO 3 -) and less acid-neutralizing (NH 4 + and Ca 2+ ) components. The bacterial community in size-resolved cloud samples were firstly recognized and dominated by the genera of Lactococcus (average abundance 34.9%) and Bacillus (average abundance 34.0%). Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) revealed differences of the bacterial community in size-resolved cloud water samples, which was probably caused by the bacterial size. Redundancy analysis suggested several minor correlations that the H 2 O 2 , NO 2 -concentrations, and trace metals exert effects on the bacterial community.

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“…Domestic rainwater tanks may host a taxonomically diverse range of microbes, with abundances and nutrient cycling behaviour indicative of functional micro-ecosystems [48]. In a study of 80 samples from 22 tanks across Eastern Australia, Evans et al [48] This proposed mechanism then raises the question of how organic acids were generated from the small amounts of organic matter entering each tank. We suggest that this process is likely mediated by microbial activity.…”

Section: Trends In Phmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Hazards Associated with Consumption of Roof-Collected Rainwater in Urban Areas in Emergency Situations

Stewart

Kim

Johnston

et al. 2016

Preprint

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Abstract:The greater Wellington region, New Zealand, is highly vulnerable to large earthquakes because it is cut by active faults. Bulk water supply pipelines cross the Wellington Fault at several different locations, and there is considerable concern about severe disruption of the provision of reticulated water supplies to households and businesses in the aftermath of a large earthquake. A number of policy initiatives have been launched encouraging householders to install rainwater tanks to increase post-disaster resilience. However, little attention has been paid to potential health hazards associated with consumption of these supplies. To assess health hazards for householders in emergency situations, six 200-litre emergency water tanks were installed at properties across the Wellington region, with five tanks being allowed to fill with roof-collected rainwater and one tank being filled with municipal tapwater as a control. Such tanks are predominantly set aside for water storage and, once filled, feature limited drawdown and recharge. Sampling from these tanks was carried out fortnightly for one year, and samples were analysed for E. coli, pH, conductivity, a range of major and trace elements, and organic compounds, enabling an assessment of the evolution of water chemistry in water storage tanks over time. Key findings were that the overall rate of E. coli detections in the rain-fed tanks was 17.7%, which is low in relation to other studies. We propose that low incidences of may be due to biocidal effects of high zinc concentrations in tanks, originating from unpainted galvanised steel roof cladding. Lead concentrations were high compared to other studies, with 69% of rain-fed tank samples exceeding the World Health Organisation's health-based guideline of 0.01 mg/L. Further work is required to determine risks of short-term consumption of this water in emergency situations.

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Extensive bacterial diversity indicates the potential operation of a dynamic micro-ecology within domestic rainwater storage systems

Cited by 45 publications

References 38 publications

Metagenomic Characterization of Airborne Viral DNA Diversity in the Near-Surface Atmosphere

Metagenomic Characterization of Airborne Viral DNA Diversity in the Near-Surface Atmosphere

Chemical Composition and Bacterial Community in Size-Resolved Cloud Water at the Summit of Mt. Tai, China

Health Hazards Associated with Consumption of Roof-Collected Rainwater in Urban Areas in Emergency Situations

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