title: Diverse manganese(II)-oxidizing bacteria are prevalent in drinking water systems.
abstract: Manganese (Mn) oxides are highly reactive minerals that influence the speciation, mobility, bioavailability and toxicity of a wide variety of organic and inorganic compounds. Although Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria are known to catalyze the formation of Mn oxides, little is known about the organisms responsible for Mn oxidation in situ, especially in engineered environments. Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria are important in drinking water systems, including in biofiltration and water distribution systems. Here, we used cultivation dependent and independent approaches to investigate Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria in drinking water sources, a treatment plant and associated distribution system. We isolated 29 strains of Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria and found that highly similar 16S rRNA gene sequences were present in all culture-independent datasets and dominant in the studied drinking water treatment plant. These results highlight a potentially important role for Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria in drinking water systems, where biogenic Mn oxides may affect water quality in terms of aesthetic appearance, speciation of metals and oxidation of organic and inorganic compounds. Deciphering the ecology of these organisms and the factors that regulate their Mn(II)-oxidizing activity could yield important insights into how microbial communities influence the quality of drinking water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.|Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Ameet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Karthik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anantharaman
authors.affiliation: Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ruberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Eva L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Lutgarde
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Raskin
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Dick
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D044822:Biodiversity; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D008345:Manganese / Q000378:metabolism*; D056186:Metagenomics; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D060766:Drinking Water; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D008345:Manganese