Bacteriophages of wastewater foaming-associated filamentous Gordonia reduce host levels in raw activated sludge.
Filamentous bacteria are a normal and necessary component of the activated sludge wastewater treatment process, but the overgrowth of filamentous bacteria results in foaming and bulking associated disruptions. Bacteriophages, or phages, were investigated for their potential to reduce the titer of foaming bacteria in a mixed-microbial activated sludge matrix. Foaming-associated filamentous bacteria were isolated from activated sludge of a commercial wastewater treatment plan and identified as Gordonia species by 16S rDNA sequencing. Four representative phages were isolated that target G. malaquae and two un-named Gordonia species isolates. Electron microscopy revealed the phages to be siphophages with long tails. Three of the phages--GordTnk2, Gmala1, and GordDuk1--had very similar ~76 kb genomes, with >93% DNA identity. These genomes shared limited synteny with Rhodococcus equi phage ReqiDocB7 and Gordonia phage GTE7. In contrast, the genome of phage Gsput1 was smaller (43 kb) and was not similar enough to any known phage to be placed within an established phage type. Application of these four phages at MOIs of 5-15 significantly reduced Gordonia host levels in a wastewater sludge model by approximately 10-fold as compared to non-phage treated reactors. Phage control was observed for nine days after treatment.
Ecolyse Inc., 11142 Hopes Creek Rd., College Station, Texas 77845, USA.
Mei
M
Liu
Center for Phage Technology, 2128 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.|Department of Animal Science, 2471 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Jason J
JJ
Gill
Center for Phage Technology, 2128 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.|Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2128 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Ry
R
Young
Ecolyse Inc., 11142 Hopes Creek Rd., College Station, Texas 77845, USA.
Elizabeth J
EJ
Summer
D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D023061:Gene Order; D005814:Genes, Viral; D016679:Genome, Viral; D033601:Gordonia Bacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D018505:Waste Management; D062065:Wastewater / Q000382:microbiology*
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater