Fine-scale differences between Accumulibacter-like bacteria in enhanced biological phosphorus removal activated sludge.
A lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and six full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) were surveyed. The abundance of Accumulibacter-related organisms in the full-scale plants was investigated using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Accumulibacter-related organisms were present in all of the full-scale EBPR plants, at levels ranging from 9% to 24% of total cells. The high percentage of Accumulibacter-related organisms seemed to be associated with configurations which minimize the nitrate recycling to the anaerobic zone and low influent BOD:TP ratios. PCR-based clone libraries were constructed from the community 16S rRNA gene plus the internally transcribed spacer region amplified from the SBR and five of the full-scale WWTPs. Comparative sequence analysis was carried out using Accumulibacter-related clones, providing higher phylogenetic resolution and revealing finer-scale clustering of the sequences retrieved from the SBR and full-scale EBPR
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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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McMahon
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D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*
D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012722:Sewage; D010758:Phosphorus