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Dissecting microbial community structure in sewage treatment plant for pathogens’ detection using metagenomic sequencing technology

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Abstract

Continuous observation of wastewater treatment plants is very crucial to keep them safe for proper use and protection from pathogenic contamination. Illumina sequencing technology was used for microbiome structuring from various samples taken from different portions of the wastewater treatment plant, including influent, activated, return sludge and effluent, where different microbial compositions were found. The effluent section was found to have pathogenic microbes such as viruses, Alpha- and deltaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, clostridia, and bacilli in various concentrations. The presence of viruses, Mycobacterium sp., Mycobacterium fortuitum, bacteroidia, and bacilli was investigated. The species Mycobacterium was found to be higher in quantity in the effluent section. Viruses, including hepatitis A and E, were detected in higher quantity in the effluent part of the sludge in comparison with the influent part of the plant. Our discovery reveals the significance and observation of wastewater treatment plants for the existence of water-borne pathogens in the effluent, principally due to the effect on humans while reusing the water.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment of China (Grant no. 2017ZX07102-004), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 21206084). We are also grateful to University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China for additional support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Green Intelligence Environmental School, Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing, 408003, People’s Republic of China

    Abdulmoseen Segun Giwa

  2. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People’s Republic of China

    Nasir Ali & Kaijun Wang

  3. Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Nasir Ali

  4. Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, National Institute of Virology, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ammar Athar

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  1. Abdulmoseen Segun Giwa
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  4. Kaijun Wang
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Correspondence to Nasir Ali or Kaijun Wang.

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Giwa, A.S., Ali, N., Athar, M.A. et al. Dissecting microbial community structure in sewage treatment plant for pathogens’ detection using metagenomic sequencing technology. Arch Microbiol 202, 825–833 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-019-01793-y

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