Abstract
The quality of drinking water is influenced by its chemical and microbial composition which in turn may be affected by the source water and the different processes applied in drinking water purification systems. In this study, we investigated the bacterial diversity in different water samples from the production and distribution chain of thirteen drinking water production and distribution systems from Flanders (Belgium) that use surface water or groundwater as source water. Water samples were collected over two seasons from the source water, the processed drinking water within the production facility and out of the tap in houses along its distribution network. 454‐pyrosequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences revealed a total of 1,570 species‐level bacterial operational taxonomic units. Strong differences in community composition were found between processed drinking water samples originating from companies that use surface water and other that use groundwater as source water. Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum in all samples. Yet, several phyla including Actinobacteria were significantly more abundant in surface water while Cyanobacteria were more abundant in surface water and processed water originating from surface water. Gallionella, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas were the three most abundant genera detected. Members of the Acinetobacter genus were even found at a relative read abundance of up to 47.5% in processed water samples, indicating a general occurrence of Acinetobacter in drinking water (systems).
Highlights
The delivery of safe, clean drinking water is important for public health
Samples represented a diverse collection of different water types, including GW, SW, processed water originating from groundwater (PWg), processed water originating from surface water (PWs), household tap water originating from groundwater (HTWg), and household tap water originating from surface water (HTWs)
In line with other studies (Pinto et al, 2012; Prest et al, 2014; Wu et al, 2015) phyla such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Nitrospirae were commonly found in the water samples investigated
Summary
The delivery of safe, clean drinking water is important for public health. The quality of the final drinking water is influenced by its chemical and microbial composition. Culture-independent DNA-based methods such as 454 pyrosequencing or Illumina MiSeq sequencing of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes overcome these limitations and allow in-depth analysis of entire microbial community composition with an unprecedented level of resolution (Caporaso et al, 2012; Margulies et al, 2005) These technologies are increasingly used to study drinking water microbial community composition and associated biofilms and have greatly contributed to our understanding of the true diversity of these bacterial community compositions (e.g., Hong et al, 2010; Navarro-Noya et al, 2013; Prest et al, 2014; Roeselers et al, 2015; Wu et al, 2015). We identified the most important taxa depending on the type of water and season using an indicator species analysis
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