Metagenomic Analyses of Drinking Water Receiving Different Disinfection Treatments

Abstract

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:p>A metagenome-based approach was used to assess the taxonomic affiliation and function potential of microbial populations in free-chlorine-treated (CHL) and monochloramine-treated (CHM) drinking water (DW). In all, 362,640 (averaging 544 bp) and 155,593 (averaging 554 bp) pyrosequencing reads were analyzed for the CHL and CHM samples, respectively. Most annotated proteins were found to be of bacterial origin, although eukaryotic, archaeal, and viral proteins were also identified. Differences in community structure and function were noted. Most notably,<jats:named-content content-type="genus-species">Legionella</jats:named-content>-like genes were more abundant in the CHL samples while mycobacterial genes were more abundant in CHM samples. Genes associated with multiple disinfectant mechanisms were identified in both communities. Moreover, sequences linked to virulence factors, such as antibiotic resistance mechanisms, were observed in both microbial communities. This study provides new insights into the genetic network and potential biological processes associated with the molecular microbial ecology of DW microbial communities.</jats:p>

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

“…These findings were consistent with those from previous studies showing that mycobacterial populations are frequently abundant in DWDS because of their high resistance to chlorine, monochloramine, and other disinfectant compounds in water systems (1,22,77). The high abundance of mycobacterial populations in the shower hose biofilms contrasted with their low abundance or absence in microbial communities on the surface of the ICU in a hospital in Spain, which consisted predominantly of Staphylococcaceae and Enterobacteriaceae (see Fig.…”

“…Some NTM species have been linked to hypersensitivity pneumonitis, cervical lymphadenitis, allergies, and respiratory problems, mainly in immunocompromised individuals (18,19). NTM growing in biofilms have been identified in drinking water systems, on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) surfaces, and on showerheads from hospitals, houses, and workplaces (20)(21)(22). Their frequent occurrence in such habitats may be explained by their ability to survive stressors commonly found in distribution systems, such as oligotrophic conditions, chlorination, and hot temperatures (23,24).…”

Mycobacteria in water, soil, plants and air: a review

“…For sequencing of the genus Mycobacterium, hsp65, dnaJ, or rpoB genes have been used (Mendum et al 2000;Angenent et al 2005;Feazel et al 2009). Next generation sequencing based on pyrosequencing techniques has also been used for the identification of bacterial and mycobacterial diversity Gomez-Alvarez et al 2012). The discovery of insertion sequences which are specific for certain mycobacterial species or complexes has been crucial for their direct detection using PCR or real time PCR.…”

Considerations for the development and application of control materials to improve metagenomic microbial community profiling

“…While quantifying/assigning relative proportions of the component organisms and/or gene sequences is popular by metagenomic studies [4,7,[18][19][20], what has not been addressed are estimations of technical confidence, or uncertainty, with the importance of experimental design to capture repeatability being highlighted in very prominent journals [21]. To confound this, there are few commercially available materials for metagenomic analysis and actual gDNA reference materials are limited to individual microbes [22].…”

“…The term environment in this context refers not only to the classic outdoor terrestrial [1] and aquatic [2,3] domains, but also environments found within other organisms, like the gut [4,5] and associated matrices like probiotic supplements [6] or linked to other man-made scenarios like water purification [7] or during fermentation [8]. The field of metagenome analysis (metagenomics) has grown rapidly as the last 10 years have seen the development and establishment of next generation (also termed massively parallel) sequencing (NGS), a technique that has the potential to read over a billion sequences in a single run.…”