Editorial

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Open AccessEditorial

Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments

by Damir Kapetanović, Mohammad Katouli and Darija Vukić Lušić

Microorganisms 2024, 12(4), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12040726 - 03 Apr 2024

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Abstract

The quality of aquatic ecosystems is an important public health concern [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

Research

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11 pages, 2771 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physiological and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Obligately Chemolithoautotrophic, Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacterium of Genus Thiomicrorhabdus Isolated from a Coastal Sediment

by Yu Gao, Han Zhu, Jun Wang, Zongze Shao, Shiping Wei, Ruicheng Wang, Ruolin Cheng and Lijing Jiang

Microorganisms 2023, 11(10), 2569; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11102569 - 15 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 979

Abstract

Thiomicrorhabdus species, belonging to the family Piscirickettsiaceae in the phylum Pseudomonadotav are usually detected in various sulfur-rich marine environments. However, only a few bacteria of Thiomicrorhabdus have been isolated, and their ecological roles and environmental adaptations still require further understanding. Here, we report [...] Read more.

Thiomicrorhabdus species, belonging to the family Piscirickettsiaceae in the phylum Pseudomonadotav are usually detected in various sulfur-rich marine environments. However, only a few bacteria of Thiomicrorhabdus have been isolated, and their ecological roles and environmental adaptations still require further understanding. Here, we report a novel strain, XGS-01^T, isolated from a coastal sediment, which belongs to genus Thiomicrorhabdus and is most closely related to Thiomicrorhabdus hydrogeniphila MAS2^T, with a sequence similarity of 97.8%. Phenotypic characterization showed that XGS-01^T is a mesophilic, sulfur-oxidizing, obligate chemolithoautotrophy, with carbon dioxide as its sole carbon source and oxygen as its sole electron acceptor. During thiosulfate oxidation, strain XGS-01^T can produce extracellular sulfur of elemental α-S₈, as confirmed via scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectromicroscopy. Polyphasic taxonomy results indicate that strain XGS-01^T represents a novel species of the genus Thiomicrorhabdus, named Thiomicrorhabdus lithotrophica sp. nov. Genomic analysis confirmed that XGS-01^T performed thiosulfate oxidation through a sox multienzyme complex, and harbored fcc and sqr genes for sulfide oxidation. Comparative genomics analysis among five available genomes from Thiomicrorhabdus species revealed that carbon fixation via the oxidation of reduced-sulfur compounds coupled with oxygen reduction is conserved metabolic pathways among members of genus Thiomicrorhabdus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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13 pages, 1041 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Temperature on Growth of Four Different Opportunistic Pathogens in Drinking Water Biofilms

by Paul W. J. J. van der Wielen, Marco Dignum, Agata Donocik and Emmanuelle I. Prest

Microorganisms 2023, 11(6), 1574; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11061574 - 14 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1277

Abstract

High drinking water temperatures occur due to climate change and could enhance the growth of opportunistic pathogens in drinking water systems. We investigated the influence of drinking water temperatures on the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Mycobacterium kansasii and Aspergillus [...] Read more.

High drinking water temperatures occur due to climate change and could enhance the growth of opportunistic pathogens in drinking water systems. We investigated the influence of drinking water temperatures on the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Mycobacterium kansasii and Aspergillus fumigatus in drinking water biofilms with an autochthonous microflora. Our results reveal that the growth of P. aeruginosa and S. maltophilia in the biofilm already occurred at 15.0 °C, whereas M. kansasii and A. fumigatus were able to grow when temperatures were above 20.0 °C and 25.0 °C, respectively. Moreover, the maximum growth yield of P. aeruginosa, M. kansasii and A. fumigatus increased with increasing temperatures up to 30 °C, whereas an effect of temperature on the yield of S. maltophilia could not be established. In contrast, the maximum ATP concentration of the biofilm decreased with increasing temperatures. We conclude from these results that high drinking water temperatures caused by, e.g., climate change can result in high numbers of P. aeruginosa, M. kansasii and A. fumigatus in drinking water systems, which poses a possible risk to public health. Consequently, it is recommended for countries with a more moderate climate to use or maintain a drinking water maximum standard temperature of 25 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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26 pages, 10582 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bacterial Microbiota of Ostreobium, the Coral-Isolated Chlorophyte Ectosymbiont, at Contrasted Salinities

by Anaïs Massé, Juliette Detang, Charlotte Duval, Sébastien Duperron, Anthony C. Woo and Isabelle Domart-Coulon

Microorganisms 2023, 11(5), 1318; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051318 - 17 May 2023

Viewed by 1724

Abstract

Microscopic filaments of the siphonous green algae Ostreobium (Ulvophyceae, Bryopsidales) colonize and dissolve the calcium carbonate skeletons of coral colonies in reefs of contrasted salinities. Here, we analyzed their bacterial community’s composition and plasticity in response to salinity. Multiple cultures of Pocillopora coral-isolated [...] Read more.

Microscopic filaments of the siphonous green algae Ostreobium (Ulvophyceae, Bryopsidales) colonize and dissolve the calcium carbonate skeletons of coral colonies in reefs of contrasted salinities. Here, we analyzed their bacterial community’s composition and plasticity in response to salinity. Multiple cultures of Pocillopora coral-isolated Ostreobium strains from two distinct rbcL lineages representative of IndoPacific environmental phylotypes were pre-acclimatized (>9 months) to three ecologically relevant reef salinities: 32.9, 35.1, and 40.2 psu. Bacterial phylotypes were visualized for the first time at filament scale by CARD-FISH in algal tissue sections, within siphons, at their surface or in their mucilage. Ostreobium-associated microbiota, characterized by bacterial 16S rDNA metabarcoding of cultured thalli and their corresponding supernatants, were structured by host genotype (Ostreobium strain lineage), with dominant Kiloniellaceae or Rhodospirillaceae (Alphaproteobacteria, Rhodospirillales) depending on Ostreobium lineage, and shifted Rhizobiales’ abundances in response to the salinity increase. A small core microbiota composed of seven ASVs (~1.5% of thalli ASVs, 19–36% cumulated proportions) was persistent across three salinities in both genotypes, with putative intracellular Amoebophilaceae and Rickettsiales_AB1, as well as Hyphomonadaceae and Rhodospirillaceae also detected within environmental (Ostreobium-colonized) Pocillopora coral skeletons. This novel knowledge on the taxonomic diversity of Ostreobium bacteria paves the way to functional interaction studies within the coral holobiont. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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15 pages, 2147 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilization of Low Molecular Weight Carbon Sources by Fungi and Saprolegniales: Implications for Their Ecology and Taxonomy

by Hossein Masigol, Hans-Peter Grossart, Seyedeh Roksana Taheri, Reza Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa, Mohammad Javad Pourmoghaddam, Ali Chenari Bouket and Seyed Akbar Khodaparast

Microorganisms 2023, 11(3), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030782 - 18 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1559

Abstract

Contributions of fungal and oomycete communities to freshwater carbon cycling have received increasing attention in the past years. It has been shown that fungi and oomycetes constitute key players in the organic matter cycling of freshwater ecosystems. Therefore, studying their interactions with dissolved [...] Read more.

Contributions of fungal and oomycete communities to freshwater carbon cycling have received increasing attention in the past years. It has been shown that fungi and oomycetes constitute key players in the organic matter cycling of freshwater ecosystems. Therefore, studying their interactions with dissolved organic matter is crucial for understanding the aquatic carbon cycle. Therefore, we studied the consumption rates of various carbon sources using 17 fungal and 8 oomycete strains recovered from various freshwater ecosystems using EcoPlate™ and FF MicroPlate™ approaches. Furthermore, phylogenetic relationships between strains were determined via single and multigene phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer regions. Our results indicated that the studied fungal and oomycete strains could be distinguished based on their carbon utilization patterns, as indicated by their phylogenetic distance. Thereby, some carbon sources had a higher discriminative strength to categorize the studied strains and thus were applied in a polyphasic approach. We concluded that studying the catabolic potential enables a better understanding of taxonomic relationships and ecological roles of fungal vs. oomycete strains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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19 pages, 3369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determinants and Assembly Mechanism of Bacterial Community Structure in Ningxia Section of the Yellow River

by Rui-Zhi Zhao, Wei-Jiang Zhang, Zeng-Feng Zhao and Xiao-Cong Qiu

Microorganisms 2023, 11(2), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020496 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1456

Abstract

The Yellow River is a valuable resource in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and plays a vital role in local human activities and biodiversity. Bacteria are a crucial component of river ecosystems, but the driving factors and assembly mechanisms of bacterial community structure [...] Read more.

The Yellow River is a valuable resource in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and plays a vital role in local human activities and biodiversity. Bacteria are a crucial component of river ecosystems, but the driving factors and assembly mechanisms of bacterial community structure in this region remain unclear. Herein, we documented the bacterial community composition, determinants, co-occurrence pattern, and assembly mechanism for surface water and sediment. In comparison to sediment, the bacterioplankton community showed significant seasonal variation, as well as less diversity and abundance. The network topology parameters indicated that the sediment bacterial network was more stable than water, but the bacterioplankton network had higher connectivity. In this lotic ecosystem, COD_Mn, Chl a, and pH affected the structure of the bacterioplankton community, while TP was the primary factor influencing the structure of the sediment bacterial community. The combined results of the neutral community model and the phylogenetic null model indicate that Bacterial communities in both habitats were mainly affected by stochastic processes, with ecological processes dominated by ecological drift for bacterioplankton and dispersal limitation for sediment bacteria. These results provide essential insights into future research on microbial ecology, environmental monitoring, and classified management in the Ningxia section of the Yellow River. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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15 pages, 3496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Pipe Material and Temperature on Drinking Water Microbiome and Prevalence of Legionella, Mycobacterium, and Pseudomonas Species

by Saleh Aloraini, Absar Alum and Morteza Abbaszadegan

Microorganisms 2023, 11(2), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020352 - 31 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2335

Abstract

In drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), pipe material and water temperature are some of the critical factors affecting the microbial flora of water. Six model DWDSs consisting of three pipe materials (galvanized steel, copper, and PEX) were constructed. The temperature in three systems [...] Read more.

In drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), pipe material and water temperature are some of the critical factors affecting the microbial flora of water. Six model DWDSs consisting of three pipe materials (galvanized steel, copper, and PEX) were constructed. The temperature in three systems was maintained at 22 °C and the other 3 at 32 °C to study microbial and elemental contaminants in a 6-week survey using 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Pipe material and temperature were preferentially linked with the composition of trace elements and the microbiome of the DWDSs, respectively. Proteobacteria was the most dominant phylum across all water samples ranging from 60.9% to 91.1%. Species richness (alpha diversity) ranking was PEX < steel ≤ copper system and elevated temperature resulted in decreased alpha diversity. Legionellaceae were omni-prevalent, while Mycobacteriaceae were more prevalent at 32 °C (100% vs. 58.6%) and Pseudomonadaceae at 22 °C (53.3% vs. 62.9%). Heterogeneity between communities was disproportionately driven by the pipe material and water temperature. The elevated temperature resulted in well-defined microbial clusters (high pseudo-F index) in all systems, with the highest impact in PEX (10.928) followed by copper (9.696) and steel (5.448). Legionellaceae and Mycobacteriaceae are preferentially prevalent in warmer waters. The results suggest that the water temperature has a higher magnitude of impact on the microbiome than the pipe material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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16 pages, 3755 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Vibrio Populations from Cultured European Seabass and the Surrounding Marine Environment with Emphasis on V. anguillarum

by Damir Kapetanović, Irena Vardić Smrzlić, Ana Gavrilović, Jurica Jug-Dujaković, Lorena Perić, Snježana Kazazić, Tea Mišić Radić, Anamarija Kolda, Milan Čanković, Jakov Žunić, Eddy Listeš, Darija Vukić Lušić, Atle Lillehaug, Semir Lončarević, Kristina Pikelj, Brigita Hengl, Dražen Knežević and Mansour El-Matbouli

Microorganisms 2022, 10(11), 2159; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10112159 - 31 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2104

Abstract

Vibrio species are widely distributed and can be potentially pathogenic to aquatic organisms. In this study, we isolated Vibrio spp. from environmental samples (seawater, sediment, and fish swabs) collected over a three-year period from a fish farm in Mali Ston Bay in the [...] Read more.

Vibrio species are widely distributed and can be potentially pathogenic to aquatic organisms. In this study, we isolated Vibrio spp. from environmental samples (seawater, sediment, and fish swabs) collected over a three-year period from a fish farm in Mali Ston Bay in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia, and assess their distribution. A total of 48 seawater samples and 12 sediment samples, as well as gill and skin swabs from 110 farmed European seabass, were analysed for the presence of Vibrio. Vibrio strains were identified to the species level by MALDI TOF MS. The analysis revealed that V. alginolyticus was the predominant species in European seabass, followed by V. anguillarum. V. alginolyticus was isolated from the sediments, along with V. gigantis and V. pomeroyi, while V. chagasii, V. cyclitrophicus, V. fortis, V. gigantis, V. harveyi, V. pelagius, and V. pomeroyi were isolated from seawater. V. anguillarum was isolated only twice during two different spring seasons, once from a diseased sea bass and the second time from a healthy sea bass. We analysed these two isolates and found that they differ both genetically and in terms of resistance to antibiotics. Our results confirm the seasonality of vibriosis incidence and the presence of the pathogenic V. anguillarum, which increases the risk of vibriosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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22 pages, 2795 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Ability of Growth Models to Predict In Situ Vibrio spp. Abundances

by Marija Purgar, Damir Kapetanović, Sunčana Geček, Nina Marn, Ines Haberle, Branimir K. Hackenberger, Ana Gavrilović, Jadranka Pečar Ilić, Domagoj K. Hackenberger, Tamara Djerdj, Bruno Ćaleta and Tin Klanjscek

Microorganisms 2022, 10(9), 1765; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10091765 - 31 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1937

Abstract

Vibrio spp. have an important role in biogeochemical cycles; some species are disease agents for aquatic animals and/or humans. Predicting population dynamics of Vibrio spp. in natural environments is crucial to predicting how the future conditions will affect the dynamics of these bacteria. [...] Read more.

Vibrio spp. have an important role in biogeochemical cycles; some species are disease agents for aquatic animals and/or humans. Predicting population dynamics of Vibrio spp. in natural environments is crucial to predicting how the future conditions will affect the dynamics of these bacteria. The majority of existing Vibrio spp. population growth models were developed in controlled environments, and their applicability to natural environments is unknown. We collected all available functional models from the literature, and distilled them into 28 variants using unified nomenclature. Next, we assessed their ability to predict Vibrio spp. abundance using two new and five already published longitudinal datasets on Vibrio abundance in four different habitat types. Results demonstrate that, while the models were able to predict Vibrio spp. abundance to an extent, the predictions were not reliable. Models often underperformed, especially in environments under significant anthropogenic influence such as aquaculture and urban coastal habitats. We discuss implications and limitations of our analysis, and suggest research priorities; in particular, we advocate for measuring and modeling organic matter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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20 pages, 6406 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Climate on Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity of Moroccan Marine Microbiota

by Yousra Sbaoui, Abdelkarim Ezaouine, Marwene Toumi, Rózsa Farkas, Mouad Ait Kbaich, Mouna Habbane, Sara El Mouttaqui, Fatem Zahra Kadiri, Mariame El Messal, Erika Tóth, Faiza Bennis and Fatima Chegdani

Microorganisms 2022, 10(8), 1622; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10081622 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2010

Abstract

The Moroccan coast is characterized by a diversity of climate, reflecting a great richness and diversity of fauna and flora. By this, marine microbiota plays a fundamental role in many biogeochemical processes, environmental modifications, and responses to temperature changes. To date, no exploration [...] Read more.

The Moroccan coast is characterized by a diversity of climate, reflecting a great richness and diversity of fauna and flora. By this, marine microbiota plays a fundamental role in many biogeochemical processes, environmental modifications, and responses to temperature changes. To date, no exploration by high-throughput techniques has been carried out on the characterization of the Moroccan marine microbiota. The objective of this work is to study the diversity and metabolic functions of MMM from the Moroccan coast (Atlantic and Mediterranean) according to the water source (WS) and the type of climate (CT) using the approach high-throughput sequencing of the 16SrRNA gene. Four water samples of twelve sampling sites from the four major climates along the Moroccan coastline were collected, and prokaryotic DNA was extracted. V4 region of 16S rRNA gene was amplified, and the product PCR was sequenced by Illumina Miseq. The β-diversity and α-diversity indices were determined to assess the species richness and evenness. The obtained results were analyzed by Mothur and R software. A total of twenty-eight Bacterial phyla and twelve Archaea were identified from the samples. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria are the three key bacterial phyla, and the Archaeal phyla identified are: Euryarchaeota, Nanoarchaeaeota, Crenarchaeota, Hydrothermarchaeota, Asgardaeota, Diapherotrites, and Thaumarchaeota in the Moroccan coastline and the four climates studied. The whole phylum are involved in marine biogeochemical cycles, and through their functions they participate in the homeostasis of the ocean in the presence of pollutants or stressful biotic and abiotic factors. In conclusion, the obtained results reported sufficient deepness of sequencing to cover the majority of Archaeal and Bacterial genera in each site. We noticed a strong difference in microbiota diversity, abundance, and taxonomy inter- and intra-climates and water source without significant differences in function. To better explore this diversity, other omic approaches can be applied such as the metagenomic shotgun, and transcriptomic approaches allowing a better characterization of the Moroccan marine microbiota and to understand the mechanisms of its adaptation and its impacts in/on the ecosystem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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15 pages, 1416 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Next-Generation High-Throughput Sequencing to Evaluate Bacterial Communities in Freshwater Ecosystem in Hydroelectric Reservoirs

by Martha Virginia R. Rojas, Diego Peres Alonso, Milena Dropa, Maria Tereza P. Razzolini, Dario Pires de Carvalho, Kaio Augusto Nabas Ribeiro, Paulo Eduardo M. Ribolla and Maria Anice M. Sallum

Microorganisms 2022, 10(7), 1398; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071398 - 11 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1803

Abstract

The quality of aquatic ecosystems is a major public health concern. The assessment and management of a freshwater system and the ecological monitoring of microorganisms that are present in it can provide indicators of the environment and water quality to protect human and [...] Read more.

The quality of aquatic ecosystems is a major public health concern. The assessment and management of a freshwater system and the ecological monitoring of microorganisms that are present in it can provide indicators of the environment and water quality to protect human and animal health. with bacteria is. It is a major challenge to monitor the microbiological bacterial contamination status of surface water associated with anthropogenic activities within rivers and freshwater reservoirs. Understanding the composition of aquatic microbial communities can be beneficial for the early detection of pathogens, improving our knowledge of their ecological niches, and characterizing the assemblages of microbiota responsible for the degradation of contaminants and microbial substrates. The present study aimed to characterize the bacterial microbiota of water samples collected alongside the Madeira River and its small tributaries in rural areas near the Santo Antonio Energia hydroelectric power plant (SAE) reservoir in the municipality of Porto Velho, Rondonia state, Western Brazil. An Illumina 16s rRNA metagenomic approach was employed and the physicochemical characteristics of the water sample were assessed. We hypothesized that both water metagenomics and physicochemical parameters would vary across sampling sites. The most abundant genera found in the study were Acinetobacter, Deinococcus, and Pseudomonas. PERMANOVA and ANCOM analysis revealed that collection points sampled at the G4 location presented a significantly different microbiome compared to any other group, with the Chlamidomonadaceae family and Enhydrobacter genus being significantly more abundant. Our findings support the use of metagenomics to assess water quality standards for the protection of human and animal health in this microgeographic region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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11 pages, 1887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Metal Concentration and Plumbing Materials on Legionella Contamination

by Anita Rakić, Darija Vukić Lušić and Anamarija Jurčev Savičević

Microorganisms 2022, 10(5), 1051; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10051051 - 19 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1929

Abstract

Legionella colonization of water supply pipes is a significant public health problem. The objective of this work was to evaluate Legionella colonization in hotel hot water systems and to investigate the relationship between metal concentrations, piping materials (galvanized iron pipes and plastic pipes), [...] Read more.

Legionella colonization of water supply pipes is a significant public health problem. The objective of this work was to evaluate Legionella colonization in hotel hot water systems and to investigate the relationship between metal concentrations, piping materials (galvanized iron pipes and plastic pipes), and Legionella proliferation. Concentrations of calcium and magnesium ions and the presence of Legionella pneumophila were determined in a total of 108 water samples from the hot water systems of four hotels in Split-Dalmatia County over a 12-month period, and additional data on piping materials were collected. L. pneumophila was isolated in 23.1% of all samples—in 28.8% (15/52) of water samples from galvanized iron pipes and in 17.8% (10/56) of samples from plastic pipes. L. pneumophila serogroups 2–14 were isolated from all samples. This study found higher prevalence of L. pneumophila at higher concentrations of Ca and Mg ions (except for Mg and plastic pipes). The metal parts of the water supply may be important factors in Legionella contamination due to the possibility of lime scale or roughness of the pipes. Higher Ca and Mg ion concentrations increased the risk of Legionella colonization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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13 pages, 334 KiB

Open AccessReview

Listeria monocytogenes in Irrigation Water: An Assessment of Outbreaks, Sources, Prevalence, and Persistence

by Samantha Gartley, Brienna Anderson-Coughlin, Manan Sharma and Kalmia E. Kniel

Microorganisms 2022, 10(7), 1319; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071319 - 30 Jun 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4250

Abstract

As more fresh fruits and vegetables are needed to meet the demands of a growing population, growers may need to start depending on more varied sources of water, including environmental, recycled, and reclaimed waters. Some of these sources might be susceptible to contamination [...] Read more.

As more fresh fruits and vegetables are needed to meet the demands of a growing population, growers may need to start depending on more varied sources of water, including environmental, recycled, and reclaimed waters. Some of these sources might be susceptible to contamination with microbial pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes. Surveys have found this pathogen in water, soil, vegetation, and farm animal feces around the world. The frequency at which this pathogen is present in water sources is dependent on multiple factors, including the season, surrounding land use, presence of animals, and physicochemical water parameters. Understanding the survival duration of L. monocytogenes in specific water sources is important, but studies are limited concerning this environment and the impact of these highly variable factors. Understanding the pathogen’s ability to remain infectious is key to understanding how L. monocytogenes impacts produce outbreaks and, ultimately, consumers’ health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments)

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