Indication of Phages and Their Role in the Regulation of the Purification Process at the Govsany Aeration Station in Baku

Abstract

Due to the epidemic situation and the emergence of enteroviral diseases, we set ourselves the task of conducting comprehensive virological and bacteriological studies of the wastewater, its sludge and contaminated soil from the Govsany aeration station. The fact of constant detection of enteroviruses in samples of wastewater and soil in combination with bacteriophages is considered by us as a possibility of detection of bacteriophages at WWTP sites. The 26 wastewater samples contain enteroviruses at various stages of treatment, 18 of which were characterised by high levels of faecal contamination (thermoletarian coliforms), C. perfringens and Enterococcus faecalis. In samples with high contamination (TCB up to 106 per 100 ml of wastewater), which are potentially dangerous in terms of the content of infectious disease pathogens, both bacterial and viral, the number of coliphages was below the norm. Consequently, coliphages cannot be used as a sanitary indicator of microorganisms of viral contamination. Intestinal phages are common where humans and animals live and therefore intestinal bacteria are present. Coliphages (bacteriophages) can be formed from lysogenic enterobacteria during the process of stepwise wastewater treatment at the Govsany WWTP.