Bacterial metabarcoding analysis by 16S rDNA of five occurrences of mineral
waters in Serbia (Torda, Slankamen Banja, Lomnicki Kiseljak, Velika Vrbnica
and Obrenovacka Banja) indicated the presence of a high percentage of the
Proteobacteria phylum, followed by the Bacteroidetes phylum. The families
Rhodobacteraceae, Burkholderiaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Methylophilaceae and
Moraxellaceae were the most dominant in the bacterial flora of the selected
occurrences, whereas the most represented genera were Acinetobacter,
Pseudorhodobacter, Pseudomonas, Limnohabitans, Massilia, Limnobacter and
Methylotenera. The presence of coliform bacteria was not detected. Alpha
diversity analysis revealed that Slankamen Banja and Lomnicki Kiseljak were
the richest of the selected occurrences, while the mineral waters of Torda,
Velika Vrbnica and Obrenovacka Banja were characterized by similar diversity
of bacterial communities determined by beta diversity analysis.
Physical-chemical analysis revealed the value of total dissolved solids
above 1 g/L, as well as elevated concentrations of some metals and
non-metals. The research concluded that specific bacteria contribute to the
development of biocorrosion and biofouling processes of water intake
facilities. In addition, some of these bacteria might be potential
indicators of the organic sources of pollution and/or biotechnological
natural remediators in the treatment of contaminated waters.