title: Fungal diversity and presence of potentially pathogenic fungi in a hospital hot water system treated with on-site monochloramine.
abstract: Currently, our knowledge of fungal ecology in engineered drinking water systems is limited, despite the potential for these systems to serve as a reservoir for opportunistic pathogens. In this study, hot water samples were collected both prior to and following the addition of monochloramine as an on-site disinfectant in a hospital hot water system. Fungal ecology was then analyzed by high throughput sequencing of the fungal ITS1 region. The results demonstrate that the genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, Peniophora, Cladosporium and Rhodosporidium comprised the core fungal biome of the hospital hot water system. Penicillium dominated the fungal community with an average relative abundance of 88.89% (±6.37%). ITS1 sequences of fungal genera containing potential pathogens such as Aspergillus, Candida, and Fusarium were also detected in this study. No significant change in fungal community structure was observed before and after the initiation of on-site monochloramine water treatment. This work represents the first report of the effects of on-site secondary water disinfection on fungal ecology in premise plumbing system, and demonstrates the necessity of considering opportunistic fungal pathogens during the evaluation of secondary premise plumbing disinfection systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Special Pathogens Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.
authors.forename: Julianne L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vikram
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Special Pathogens Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Stout
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. Electronic address: BibbyKJ@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bibby
mesh_terms: D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002700:Chloramines / Q000737:chemistry*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003904:Mitosporic Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002700:Chloramines; D060766:Drinking Water; C030816:chloramine
keywords: Aspergillus; Fungal ecology; Monochloramine; Penicillium; Premise plumbing; Secondary disinfection