Microbiome, resistome and mobilome of chlorine-free drinking water treatment systems

• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119905
• Publication Date: 2023-03-27T23:42:05Z
• Authors: David Calderón-Fr...; Francesc Corbera-...; Marcos Cuesta-Sanz; Brent Pieterse; David de Ridder; Mark C.M. van Loo...; Doris van Halem; Michele Laureni; David G. Weissbrodt
• Keywords: Resistome

Drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) are designed to remove physical, chemical, and biological contaminants. However, until recently, the role of DWTPs in minimizing cycling antibiotic resistance determinants has got limited attention. In particular, risk selecting antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) is largely overlooked chlorine-free where processes applied. Here, we combined high-throughput quantitative PCR metagenomics analyze abundance dynamics microbial communities, genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs) across trains two involving dune-based reservoir-based systems. The diversity increased after all unit operations, namely rapid slow sand filtration (SSF), granular activated carbon filtration. Both reduced concentration ARGs MGEs by circa 2.5 log gene copies mL-1, despite their relative increase disinfection sub-units (SSF UV DWTPs). total was also (2.5 units), none enriched for containing linked resistance. Our findings highlight effectiveness supplying safe drinking while reducing determinants. To best our knowledge, this first study that monitors presence DWTPs.