Mini Review: Metagenomics as a tool to monitor reclaimed water quality.

Hong, Pei-Ying; Mantilla Calderon, David; Wang, Changzhi

Mini Review: Metagenomics as a tool to monitor reclaimed water quality.

Files

Applied and Environmental Microbiology-2020-Hong-AEM.00724-20.full.pdf (568.12 KB)

License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Type

Article

Authors

Hong, Pei-Ying

Mantilla Calderon, David

Wang, Changzhi

KAUST Department

Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division
Environmental Microbial Safety and Biotechnology Lab
Environmental Science and Engineering
Environmental Science and Engineering Program
Water Desalination and Reuse Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 23955-6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)

KAUST Grant Number

URF/1/3407-01-01

Online Publication Date

2020-08-03

Print Publication Date

2020-06-05

Date

2020-08-03

Abstract

Many biological contaminants are disseminated through water, and their occurrence has potential detrimental impacts on public and environmental health. Conventional monitoring tools rely on cultivation and are not robust in addressing modern water quality concerns. This review proposes metagenomics as a means to provide a rapid, nontargeted assessment of biological contaminants in water. When further coupled with the appropriate methods (e.g., quantitative PCR and flow cytometry) and bioinformatic tools, metagenomics can provide information concerning both the abundance and diversity of biological contaminants in reclaimed waters. Further correlation between the metagenomic-derived data of selected contaminants and the measurable parameters of water quality can also aid in devising strategies to alleviate undesirable water quality. Here, we reviewed metagenomic approaches (i.e., both sequencing platforms and bioinformatic tools) and studies that demonstrated their use for reclaimed water quality monitoring. We also provide recommendations on areas of improvement that will allow metagenomics to significantly impact how the water industry performs reclaimed water quality monitoring in the future.

Citation

Hong, P.-Y., Mantilla-Calderon, D., & Wang, C. (2020). Mini Review: Metagenomics as a tool to monitor reclaimed water quality. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. doi:10.1128/aem.00724-20

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge funding support from the KAUST Competitive Research Grant URF/1/3407-01-01 awarded to PYH. This review was written based on the content presented by PYH at the 2018 Singapore International Water Week. The authors declare no conflict of interest.