Dataset Information

Are viruses important in the plankton of highly turbid glacier-fed lakes?

ABSTRACT: Viruses are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems where they significantly contribute to microbial mortality. In glacier-fed turbid lakes, however, viruses not only encounter low host abundances, but also a high number of suspended mineral particles introduced by glacier meltwaters. We hypothesized that these particles potentially lead to unspecific adsorption and removal of free virus from the plankton, and thus significantly reduce their abundance in this type of lake. We followed the distribution of free virus-like particles (VLP) during the ice-free season across a turbidity gradient in four alpine lakes including one adjacent clear system where hydrological connectivity to the receding glacier is already lost. In the glacier-fed turbid lakes, VLP abundance increased with distance to the glacier, but the highest numbers were observed in the clear lake by the end of August, coinciding with the maximum in prokaryotic abundance. Our results suggest that viral loss by attachment to particles is less important than expected. Nevertheless, the relatively lower variability in VLP abundance and the lower virus-to-prokaryote ratio found in the turbid lakes than in the clear one point to a rather low temporal turnover and thus, to a reduced impact on microbial communities.

SUBMITTER: Drewes F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4837353 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Are viruses important in the plankton of highly turbid glacier-fed lakes?

Drewes Fabian F Peter Hannes H Sommaruga Ruben R

Scientific reports 20160420

Viruses are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems where they significantly contribute to microbial mortality. In glacier-fed turbid lakes, however, viruses not only encounter low host abundances, but also a high number of suspended mineral particles introduced by glacier meltwaters. We hypothesized that these particles potentially lead to unspecific adsorption and removal of free virus from the plankton, and thus significantly reduce their abundance in this type of lake. We followed the distribution ...[more]

PMID: 27094854

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Project description:In recent years, global warming has led to a growing number of Vibrio cholerae infections in bathing water users in regions formerly unaffected by this pathogen. It is therefore of high importance to monitor V. cholerae in aquatic environments and to elucidate the main factors governing its prevalence and abundance. For this purpose, rapid and standardizable methods that can be performed by routine water laboratories are prerequisite. In this study, we applied a recently developed multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) strategy (i) to monitor the spatiotemporal variability of V. cholerae abundance in two small soda pools and a large lake that is intensively used for recreation and (ii) to elucidate the main factors driving V. cholerae dynamics in these environments. V. cholerae was detected with qPCR at high concentrations of up to 970,000 genomic units 100 ml-1 during the warm season, up to 2 orders of magnitude higher than values obtained by cultivation. An independent cytometric approach led to results comparable to qPCR data but with significantly more positive samples due to problems with DNA recovery for qPCR. Not a single sample was positive for toxigenic V. cholerae, indicating that only nontoxigenic V. cholerae (NTVC) was present. Temperature was the main predictor of NTVC abundance, but the quality and quantity of dissolved organic matter were also important environmental correlates. Based on this study, we recommend using the developed qPCR strategy for quantification of toxigenic and nontoxigenic V. cholerae in bathing waters with the need for improvements in DNA recovery.IMPORTANCE There is a definitive need for rapid and standardizable methods to quantify waterborne bacterial pathogens. Such methods have to be thoroughly tested for their applicability to environmental samples. In this study, we critically tested a recently developed multiplex qPCR strategy for its applicability to determine the spatiotemporal variability of V. cholerae abundance in lakes with a challenging water matrix. Several qPCR protocols for V. cholerae detection have been developed in the laboratory, but comprehensive studies on the application to environmental samples are extremely scarce. In our study, we demonstrate that our developed qPCR approach is a valuable tool but that there is a need for improvement in DNA recovery for complex water matrices. Furthermore, we found that nontoxigenic V. cholerae is present in very high numbers in the investigated ecosystems, while toxigenic V. cholerae is apparently absent. Such information is of importance for public health.

Dataset Information

Are viruses important in the plankton of highly turbid glacier-fed lakes?

Publications

Are viruses important in the plankton of highly turbid glacier-fed lakes?

Similar Datasets

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