Dataset Information

Reduced Chlorine in Drinking Water Distribution Systems Impacts Bacterial Biodiversity in Biofilms.

ABSTRACT: In drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), a disinfectant residual is usually applied to limit bacterial regrowth. However, delivering water with no or reduced chlorine residual could potentially decrease the selection for antimicrobial resistant microorganisms, favor bacterial regrowth and result in changes in bacterial populations. To evaluate the feasibility of water reduction in local DWDS while ensuring water safety, water quality was measured over 2 months in two different networks, each of them harboring sub-areas with normal and reduced chlorine. Water quality remained good in chlorine reduced samples, with limited development of total flora and absence of coliforms. Furthermore, 16S rRNA amplicon-based metagenomics was used to investigate the diversity and the composition of microbial communities in the sub-networks. Taxonomic classification of sequence reads showed a reduced bacterial diversity in sampling points with higher chlorine residuals. Chlorine disinfection created more homogeneous bacterial population, dominated by Pseudomonas, a genus that contains some major opportunistic pathogens such as P. aeruginosa. In the absence of chlorine, a larger and unknown biodiversity was unveiled, also highlighted by a decreased rate of taxonomic classification to the genus and species level. Overall, this experiment in a functional DWDS will facilitate the move toward potable water delivery systems without residual disinfectants and will improve water taste for consumers.

SUBMITTER: Bertelli C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6205969 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Reduced Chlorine in Drinking Water Distribution Systems Impacts Bacterial Biodiversity in Biofilms.

Bertelli Claire C Courtois Sophie S Rosikiewicz Marta M Piriou Philippe P Aeby Sébastien S Robert Samuel S Loret Jean-François JF Greub Gilbert G

Frontiers in microbiology 20181023

In drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), a disinfectant residual is usually applied to limit bacterial regrowth. However, delivering water with no or reduced chlorine residual could potentially decrease the selection for antimicrobial resistant microorganisms, favor bacterial regrowth and result in changes in bacterial populations. To evaluate the feasibility of water reduction in local DWDS while ensuring water safety, water quality was measured over 2 months in two different networks, ea ...[more]

PMID: 30405577

Similar Datasets

Project description:Biofilms are the dominant form of microbial loading (and organic material) within drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), yet our understanding of DWDS microbiomes is focused on the more easily accessible bulk-water. Disinfectant residuals are commonly provided to manage planktonic microbial activity in DWDS to safeguard water quality and public health, yet the impacts on the biofilm microbiome are largely unknown. We report results from a full-scale DWDS facility used to develop biofilms naturally, under one of three chlorine concentrations: Low, Medium, or High. Increasing the chlorine concentration reduced the bacterial concentration within the biofilms but quantities of fungi were unaffected. The chlorine regime was influential in shaping the community structure and composition of both taxa. There were microbial members common to all biofilms but the abundance of these varied such that at the end of the Growth phase the communities from each regime were distinct. Alpha-, Beta-, and Gamma-proteobacteria were the most abundant bacterial classes; Sordariomycetes, Leotiomycetes, and Microbotryomycetes were the most abundant classes of fungi. Mechanical cleaning was shown to immediately reduce the bacterial and fungal concentrations, followed by a lag effect on the microbiome with continued decreases in quantity and ecological indices after cleaning. However, an established community remained, which recovered such that the microbial compositions at the end of the Re-growth and initial Growth phases were similar. Interestingly, the High-chlorine biofilms showed a significant elevation in bacterial concentrations at the end of the Re-growth (after cleaning) compared the initial Growth, unlike the other regimes. This suggests adaptation to a form a resilient biofilm with potentially equal or greater risks to water quality as the other regimes. Overall, this study provides critical insights into the interaction between chlorine and the microbiome of DWDS biofilms representative of real networks, implications are made for the operation and maintenance of DWDS disinfectant and cleaning strategies.

Project description:Building water systems promote the regrowth and survival of opportunistic pathogens, such as Legionella pneumophila, especially within biofilms, where most drinking water microbes reside. However, compared to their planktonic form, disinfection efficacy for the biofilm-associated forms of water-based pathogens is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of free chlorine and monochloramine in the inactivation of biofilm-associated L. pneumophila strain Philadelphia-1 serogroup 1 (LpP1s1). Mature (1.5- to 2-year-old) drinking water biofilms were developed on copper (Cu) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) slides within biofilm annular reactors, then colonized with LpP1s1 at approximately 4 log10 CFU cm-2 and exposed to 2 mg liter-1 of free chlorine or monochloramine. Ct (disinfectant concentration × time, expressed as mg min liter-1) inactivation values for 2-, 3-, and 4-log10 reductions of planktonic and biofilm LpP1s1 were determined. For planktonic LpP1s1, free chlorine was more effective at inactivation than was monochloramine treatment, and for biofilm-associated LpP1s1, monochloramine was more effective on Cu biofilms while free chlorine was more effective on PVC biofilms. In contrast to monochloramine, free chlorine treatment of Cu and PVC biofilms, negatively impacted LpP1s1 16S rRNA gene transcript levels and may act synergistically with Cu surfaces to further reduce transcript levels. Moreover, LpP1s1 cells shed from biofilms into the bulk water were more resistant to disinfection than were prepared planktonic LpP1s1 cells. Results from this study indicate that biofilm association, disinfectant type, and substratum play an important role in the survival of Legionella pneumophila in building water systems.IMPORTANCE Microbial regrowth within building water systems are promoted by water stagnation, low disinfectant residual, high surface-to-volume ratio, amenable growth temperatures, and colonization of drinking water biofilms. Moreover, biofilms provide protection from environmental stresses, access to higher levels of nutrients, and opportunities for symbiotic interactions with other microbes. Disinfectant efficacy information is historically based on inactivation of pathogens in their planktonic, free-floating forms. However, due to the ecological importance of drinking water biofilms for pathogen survival, this study evaluated the efficacy of two common disinfectants, free chlorine and monochloramine, on Legionella pneumophila colonizing mature, drinking water biofilms established on copper and PVC surfaces. Results showed that inactivation was dependent on the disinfectant type and biofilm substratum. Overall, this, and other related research, will provide a better understanding of Legionella ecological stability and survival and aid policy makers in the management of exposure risks to water-based pathogens within building water systems.

Dataset Information

Reduced Chlorine in Drinking Water Distribution Systems Impacts Bacterial Biodiversity in Biofilms.

Publications

Reduced Chlorine in Drinking Water Distribution Systems Impacts Bacterial Biodiversity in Biofilms.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets