Sulfur bacteria in wastewater stabilization ponds periodically affected by the ‘red-water’ phenomenon

Abstract

Several wastewater stabilization ponds (WSP) in Tunisia suffer periodically from the ‘red-water’ phenomenon due to blooming of purple sulfur bacteria, indicating that sulfur cycle is one of the main element cycles in these ponds. In this study, we investigated the microbial diversity of the El Menzeh WSP and focused in particular on the different functional groups of sulfur bacteria. For this purpose, we used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified fragments of the 16S rRNA gene and of different functional genes involved in microbial sulfur metabolism (dsrB, aprA, and pufM). Analyses of the 16S rRNA revealed a relatively high microbial diversity where Proteobacteria, Chlorobi, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria constitute the major bacterial groups. The dsrB and aprA gene analysis revealed the presence of deltaproteobacterial sulfate-reducing bacteria (i.e., Desulfobacter and Desulfobulbus), while the analysis of 16S rRNA, aprA, and pufM genes assigned the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria community to the photosynthetic representatives belonging to the Chlorobi (green sulfur bacteria) and the Proteobacteria (purple sulfur and non sulfur bacteria) phyla. These results point on the diversity of the metabolic processes within this wastewater plant and/or the availability of sulfate and diverse electron donors.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00253-012-3931-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Salinity-triggered compositional and metabolic responses of autotrophic prokaryotes in Tibetan lacustrine sediments

“…In the freshwater G1 samples, MAGs with dsr genes were the least prominent, while rdsr (sulfide oxidation) were the highest (t test, all P < 0.05), in good agreement with the lowest concentration of sulfate and that the most dominant species Rhodoferax S03.Bin061 and Hydrogenophaga S05.Bin024 and S04.Bin021 had the capability to oxidize sulfide via the rdsr pathway. Besides, although the Rhodoferax and Hydrogenophaga species were evidenced to oxidize reduced sulfur compounds in many studies [52,68], our findings provide a new oxidation mechanism in these genera and strengthen their importance in the sulfur cycle.…”

Effect of wastewater disposal on the bacterial and archaeal community of sea sediment in an industrial area in China

“…Flavobacteria was show to be abundant in a coking wastewater treatment system (Zhu et al ., ) and an alkaline bioelectrochemical system (Bonmati et al ., ), exhibiting good resistance to toxicity and alkalinity. Specifically, the class Ignavibacteria detected in GB belongs to the phylum Chlorobi , which has been reported in wastewater treatment systems (Belila et al ., ; Sanchez et al ., ). This phylum is also a group of anaerobic sulfur metabolic Bacteria (Bryant & Frigaard, ), so the appearance of Ignavibacteria in the aerobic tank of GB should be attributed to the former anaerobic unit, upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB).…”

A Post-Genomic View of the Ecophysiology, Catabolism and Biotechnological Relevance of Sulphate-Reducing Prokaryotes

“…The sulphate-reducing up-flow sludge bed (SRUSB) reactor contained a diverse SRP community including Desulfobulbus, Desulfobacter, Desulfomicrobium, Desulfosarcina and Desulfovibrio phylotypes (Hao et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2011). Wastewater stabilization ponds are cost-efficient, self-purifying systems widely used in Mediterranean countries; recently, SRB (Desulfobacter and Desulfobulbus phylotypes) have been implicated in the sulphur cycle of such systems (Belila et al, 2013).…”