Print Email Facebook Twitter Comparison of Particle-Associated Bacteria from a Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Distribution Reservoirs with Different Water Sources Title Comparison of Particle-Associated Bacteria from a Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Distribution Reservoirs with Different Water Sources Author Liu, G. Ling, F.Q. Van der Mark, E.J. Zhang, X.D. Knezev, A. Verberk, J.Q.J.C. Van der Meer, W.G.J. Medema, G.J. Liu, W.T. Van Dijk, J.C. Faculty Civil Engineering and Geosciences Department Water Management Date 2016-02-02 Abstract This study assessed the characteristics of and changes in the suspended particles and the associated bacteria in an unchlorinated drinking water distribution system and its reservoirs with different water sources. The results show that particle-associated bacteria (PAB) were present at a level of 0.8–4.5?×?103 cells ml?1 with a biological activity of 0.01–0.04?ng l?1 ATP. Different PAB communities in the waters produced from different sources were revealed by a 16S rRNA-based pyrosequencing analysis. The quantified biomass underestimation due to the multiple cells attached per particle was???85%. The distribution of the biologically stable water increased the number of cells per particle (from 48 to 90) but had minor effects on the PAB community. Significant changes were observed at the mixing reservoir. Our results show the characteristics of and changes in suspended PAB during distribution, and highlight the significance of suspended PAB in the distribution system, because suspended PAB can lead to a considerable underestimation of biomass, and because they exist as biofilm, which has a greater mobility than pipe-wall biofilm and therefore presents a greater risk, given the higher probability that it will reach the customers’ taps and be ingested. Subject biofilmsenvironmental sciencesnext-generation sequencingwater microbiologyOA-Fund TU Delft To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1056e784-cc39-4293-a856-8558c3f83e4b Publisher Nature Publishing Group ISSN 2045-2322 Source https://doi.org/10.1038/srep20367 Source Scientific Reports, 6, 2016 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights (c) 2016 CC BYThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Files PDF Liu_2016.pdf 889.68 KB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:1056e784-cc39-4293-a856-8558c3f83e4b/datastream/OBJ/view