Investigation of Archaeal and Bacterial community structure of five different small drinking water networks with special regard to the nitrifying microorganisms

Publication date: Available online 4 May 2016 Source:Microbiological Research Author(s): Zsuzsanna Nagymáté, Zalán G. Homonnay, Károly Márialigeti Total microbial community structure, and particularly nitrifying communities inhabiting five different small drinking water networks characterized with different water physical and chemical parameters was investigated, using cultivation-based methods and sequence aided Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. Ammonium ion, originated from well water, was only partially oxidized via nitrite to nitrate in the drinking water distribution systems. Nitrification occurred at low ammonium ion concentration (27 − 46μM), relatively high pH (7.6 − 8.2) and over a wide range of dissolved oxygen concentrations (0.4 − 9.0mgL−1). The nitrifying communities of the distribution systems were characterized by variable most probable numbers (2×102–7.1×104 MPN L−1) and probably originated from the non-treated well water. The sequence aided T-RFLP method revealed that ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms and nitrite-oxidizing Bacteria (Nitrosomonas oligotropha, Nitrosopumilus maritimus, and Nitrospira moscoviensis, ‘Candidatus Nitrospira defluvii’) were present in different ratios in the total microbial communities of the distinct parts of the water network systems. The nitrate generated by nitrification was partly utilized by nitrate-reducing (and denitrifying) Bacteria, present in low MPN and ...
Source: Microbiological Research - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research