Impact of pipe material and chlorination on the biofilm structure and microbial communities

Zhang, Xinyue; Lin, Tao; Jiang, Fuchun; Zhang, Xue; Wang, Shiyu; Shi-sheng, Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133218

Cited by 20 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Pseudomonas was the primary colonizer of the biofilms, recruited from the bulk water microbes, and then other genera (Herminiimonas, Janthinobacterium, Mitsuaria, Novosphingobium, and Sphingobium) gradually colonized them. Pseudomonas has been viewed as a biofilm former in many previous DWDS studies. ,, In addition, Pseudomonas has a relatively strong resistance to disinfectants and high affinity toward pipes, , which facilitates the survival and colonization of chlorinated DWDS pipes. , Moreover, some taxa (including Cupriavidus, Mitsuaria, Novosphingobium, Pantoea, Sphingobium, and Stenotrophomonas) might utilize specific metabolites, such as exopolysaccharides produced by Pseudomonas, , to further colonize in young biofilms . The triplicate samples from summer showed very big variations among each other (Figure b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The DWDS was operated between November 2020 and September 2021 with 24 coupons. After biofilm sampling, coupons without biofilms (swabbed repeatedly using cotton swabs to remove biofilms entirely, washing using a high concentration of chlorine disinfectants (5%) and sterilized ultrapure water) were installed back , and biofilms could re-form again. The inner coupon surface did not influence the biofilm recolonization because the stainless steel had high biostability and almost did not corrode, providing the biofilms new surfaces to colonize.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonality Determines the Variations of Biofilm Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome in a Pilot-Scale Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution System Deciphered by Metagenome Assembly

Sun

Chen

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Understanding the biofilm microbiome and antibiotic resistome evolution in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) is crucial to ensure the safety of drinking water. We explored the 10 month evolution of the microbial community, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile gene elements (MGEs) co-existing with ARGs and pathogenic ARG hosts, and the ARG driving factors in DWDS biofilms using metagenomics assembly. Sampling season was critical in determining the microbial community and antibiotic resistome shift. Pseudomonas was the primary biofilm colonizer, and biofilms diversified more as the formation time increased. Most genera tended to cooperate to adapt to an oligotrophic environment with disinfectant stress. Biofilm microbial community and antibiotic resistome assembly were mainly determined by stochastic processes and changed with season. Metagenome assembly provided the occurrence and fates of MGEs co-existing with ARGs and ARG hosts in DWDS biofilms. The abundance of ARG- and MGE-carrying pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was high in summer. It primarily harbored the aph(3)-IIb, multidrug transporter, smeD, and metallo-beta-lactamase ARGs, which were transferred via recombination. The microbial community was the most crucial factor driving the antibiotic resistance shift. We provide novel insights about the evolution of pathogens and ARGs and their correlations in DWDS biofilms to ensure the safety of drinking water.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonality Determines the Variations of Biofilm Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome in a Pilot-Scale Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution System Deciphered by Metagenome Assembly

Sun

Chen

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…This finding aligns with previous research, which highlighted the critical role of EPSs synthesized by Sphingomonas sp. for biofilm formation in the pipe material of the water distribution system, even in the presence of disinfectant reagents such as chlorine 65 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As described, a high number of genes that could code for the vitamin B12 import ATP-binding protein BtuD were detected. This protein is an ABC transporter that allows the assimilation of vitamin B12, which shares a good part of the subunits present in the iron assimilation and transport systems 65 . Another of the most detected proteins was the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, a producer of trehalose, which has been linked to carbohydrate and energy storage functions and resistance to stress 66 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A laboratory ice machine as a cold oligotrophic artificial microbial niche for biodiscovery

Satari,

Torrent,

Ortega-Legarreta

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Microorganisms are ubiquitously distributed in nature and usually appear as biofilms attached to a variety of surfaces. Here, we report the development of a thick biofilm in the drain pipe of several standard laboratory ice machines, and we describe and characterise, through culture-dependent and -independent techniques, the composition of this oligotrophic microbial community. By using culturomics, 25 different microbial strains were isolated and taxonomically identified. The 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria were the most abundant bacterial phyla in the sample, followed by Acidobacteriota and Planctomycetota, while ITS high-throughput sequencing uncovered the fungal community was clearly dominated by the presence of a yet-unidentified genus from the Didymellaceae family. Alpha and beta diversity comparisons of the ice machine microbial community against that of other similar cold oligotrophic and/or artificial environments revealed a low similarity between samples, highlighting the ice machine could be considered a cold and oligotrophic niche with a unique selective pressure for colonisation of particular microorganisms. The recovery and analysis of high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) yielded a strikingly high rate of new species. The functional profiling of the metagenome sequences uncovered the presence of proteins involved in extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and fimbriae biosynthesis and also allowed us to detect the key proteins involved in the cold adaptation mechanisms and oligotrophic metabolic pathways. The metabolic functions in the recovered MAGs confirmed that all MAGs have the genes involved in psychrophilic protein biosynthesis. In addition, the highest number of genes for EPS biosynthesis was presented in MAGs associated with the genus Sphingomonas, which was also recovered by culture-based method. Further, the MAGs with the highest potential gene number for oligotrophic protein production were closely affiliated with the genera Chryseoglobus and Mycobacterium. Our results reveal the surprising potential of a cold oligotrophic microecosystem within a machine as a source of new microbial taxa and provide the scientific community with clues about which microorganisms are able to colonise this ecological niche and what physiological mechanisms they develop. These results pave the way to understand how and why certain microorganisms can colonise similar anthropogenic environments.

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“…The steps of biofilm formation include the following successional steps: (i) microorganisms from the bulk water attach to the pipe surface; (ii) microorganisms start to develop, releasing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS); (iii) modify the surroundings to exclude or enhance the development of other microorganisms [2,185].…”

Section: Biofilm Formation On Inner Pipe Wallmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Behavior of Polymeric Pipes in Drinking Water Distribution System—Comparison with Other Pipe Materials

Stefan,

Bosomoiu,

Teodorescu

2023

Polymers

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The inner walls of the drinking water distribution system (DWDS) are expected to be clean to ensure a safe quality of drinking water. Complex physical, chemical, and biological processes take place when water comes into contact with the pipe surface. This paper describes the impact of leaching different compounds from the water supply pipes into drinking water and subsequent risks. Among these compounds, there are heavy metals. It is necessary to prevent these metals from getting into the DWDS. Those compounds are susceptible to impacting the quality of the water delivered to the population either by leaching dangerous chemicals into water or by enhancing the development of microorganism growth on the pipe surface. The corrosion process of different pipe materials, scale formation mechanisms, and the impact of bacteria formed in corrosion layers are discussed. Water treatment processes and the pipe materials also affect the water composition. Pipe materials act differently in the flowing and stagnation conditions. Moreover, they age differently (e.g., metal-based pipes are subjected to corrosion while polymer-based pipes have a decreased mechanical resistance) and are susceptible to enhanced bacterial film formation. Water distribution pipes are a dynamic environment, therefore, the models that are used must consider the changes that occur over time. Mathematical modeling of the leaching process is complex and includes the description of corrosion development over time, correlated with a model for the biofilm formation and the disinfectants–corrosion products and disinfectants–biofilm interactions. The models used for these processes range from simple longitudinal dispersion models to Monte Carlo simulations and 3D modeling. This review helps to clarify what are the possible sources of compounds responsible for drinking water quality degradation. Additionally, it gives guidance on the measures that are needed to maintain stable and safe drinking water quality.

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Impact of pipe material and chlorination on the biofilm structure and microbial communities

Cited by 20 publications

References 51 publications

Seasonality Determines the Variations of Biofilm Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome in a Pilot-Scale Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution System Deciphered by Metagenome Assembly

Seasonality Determines the Variations of Biofilm Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistome in a Pilot-Scale Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution System Deciphered by Metagenome Assembly

A laboratory ice machine as a cold oligotrophic artificial microbial niche for biodiscovery

The Behavior of Polymeric Pipes in Drinking Water Distribution System—Comparison with Other Pipe Materials

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