Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-tn8tq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-03T13:45:22.112Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Molecular identification of species comprising an unusual biofilm from a groundwater treatment plant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2006

M. R. Gillings*
Affiliation:
Genes to Geoscience Research Centre, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2019, Australia
M. P. Holley
Affiliation:
Genes to Geoscience Research Centre, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2019, Australia
M. Selleck
Affiliation:
Orica Groundwater Treatment Plant, 16–20 Beauchamp Road, Matraville, NSW 2036, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Dr M. R. Gillings Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University NSW 2109 AustraliaT 61 2 9850 8199 F 61 2 9850 9237 Emichael.gillings@mq.edu.au

Abstract

Orica's groundwater treatment plant in Botany, NSW, Australia, was designed to remove and destroy volatile organic compounds from polluted groundwater and to treat the water for reuse on the Botany Industrial Park. The initial steps in this process involved acidification of the groundwater and air stripping. During this operation, very large quantities of a biofilm formed within the air stripper, necessitating weekly clean-outs. We investigated the composition of this biofilm using molecular methods. Total DNA extracted from biofilm material was used as a template for amplification of both bacterial 16 S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the eukaryotic rDNA internal transcribed spacer region. Cloning and sequencing of these products showed that the biofilm was composed primarily of a bacterium belonging to the genus Acidocella, a filamentous fungus (Trichoderma asperellum), and the ascomycetous yeasts Pichia, Candida and Geotrichum. This unusual biofilm was composed of acidophiles that were capable of rapidly generating large amounts of biomass under these conditions. When acidification of the groundwater ceased, the biofilm no longer formed.

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bachman, R. T. & Edyvean, R. G. J. (2005) Biofouling: an historic and contemporary review of its causes, consequences and control in drinking water distribution systems. Biofilms 2, 197227CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, B. J. & Banfield, J. F. (2003) Microbial communities in acid mine drainage FEMS Microbiology Ecology 44, 139152CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burford, E. P., Fomina, M. & Gadd, G. M. (2003) Fungal involvement in bioweathering and biotransformation of rocks and minerals. Mineralogical Magazine 67, 11271155CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coetser, S. E. & Cloete, T. E. (2005) Biofouling and biocorrosion in industrial water systems. Critical Reviews in Microbiology 31, 213232CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dore, S. Y., Clancy, Q. E., Rylee, S. M. & Kulpa, C. F. (2003) Naphthalene-utilizing and mercury resistant bacteria isolated from an acidic environment. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 63, 194199CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duran, J. M., Vogan, J. L. & Stening, J. R. (2000) Reactive barrier performance in a complex contaminant and geochemical environment. In Second International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds, Monterey, CA, 22–25 May, vol. C2–6, pp. 401–408Google Scholar
Elvers, K. T., Leeming, K. & Lappin-Scott, H. M. (2001) Binary culture biofilm formation by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Fusarium oxysporum. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology 26, 178183CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flemming, H. C. (2002) Biofouling in water systems – cases, causes and countermeasures. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 59, 629640CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gadanho, M. & Sampaio, J. P. (2006) Microeukaryotic diversity in the extreme environments of the Iberian pyrite belt: a comparison between universal and fungi-specific primer sets, temperature gradient gel electrophoresis and cloning. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 57, 139148CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gemmel, R. T. & Knowles, C. J. (2000) Utilisation of aliphatic compounds by acidophilic heterotrophic bacteria. The potential for bioremediation of acidic wastewaters contaminated with toxic organic compounds and heavy metals. FEMS Microbiology Letters 192, 185190CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillings, M. R., Holley, M. P., Stokes, H. W. & Holmes, A. J. (2005) Integrons in Xanthomonas: a source of species genome diversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 102, 44194424, supplementary materialCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hallberg, K. B., Coupland, K., Kimura, S. & Johnson, D. B. (2006) Macroscopic streamer growths in acidic, metal-rich mine waters in North Wales consist of novel and remarkably simple bacterial communities. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72, 20222030CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hermosa, M. R., Keck, E., Chamorro, I., Rubio, B., Sanz, L., Vizcaino, J. A. et al. , (2004) Genetic diversity shown in Trichoderma biocontrol isolates. Mycological Research 108, 897906CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, D. B., Rolfe, S., Hallberg, K. B. & Iversen, E. (2001) Isolation and phylogenetic characterization of acidophilic microorganisms indigenous to acidic drainage waters at an abandoned Norwegian copper mine. Environmental Microbiology 3, 630637CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawai, F., Zhang, D. & Sugimoto, M. (2000) Isolation and characterization of acid- and Al-tolerant microorgnisms. FEMS Microbiology Letters 189, 143147CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kishimoto, N., Kosako, Y., Wakao, N., Tano, T. & Hiraishi, A. (1995) Transfer of Acidiphilium facilis and Acidiphilium aminolytica to the genus Acidocella gen. nov., and emendation of the genus Acidiphilium. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 18, 8591CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumamoto, C. A. (2002) Candida biofilms. Current Opinion in Microbiology 5, 608611CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laitila, A., Wilhelmson, A., Kotaviita, E., Olkku, J., Home, S. & Juvonen, R. (2006) Yeasts in an industrial malting system. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology 33, 953966CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lane, D. J. (1991) 16 S/23 S rRNA sequencing. In Nucleic Acid Techniques in Bacterial Systematic, pp. 115175. Edited by Stackebrandt, E. & Goodfellow, M.. London: John Wiley and SonsGoogle Scholar
Lawrence, J. R. & Neu, T. R. (2003) Microscale analyses of the formation and nature of microbial biofilm communities in river systems. Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology 2, 8597CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robbins, E. I., Rodgers, T. M., Alpers, C. N. & Nordstrom, D. K. (2000) Ecogeochemistry or the subsurface food web at pH 0–2.5 in Iron Mountain, California, USA. Hydrobiologia 433, 1523CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roling, W. F. M., Ortega-Lucach, S., Larter, S. R. & Head, I. M. (2006) Acidophilic microbial communities associated with a natural, biodegraded hydrocarbon seepage. Journal of Applied Microbiology 101, 290299CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sewell, G. W. (2004) Review of DNAPL site characterization and treatment technologies: in support of proposed clean-up activities at Orica Botany site. Website: <http://www.oricabotanygroundwater.com/Clean%20up%20Plan%20Documents/Appendix%20D/SourceControl%5B1%5D.pdf>>Google Scholar
Stapleton, R. D., Savage, D. C., Sayler, G. S. & Stacey, G. (1998) Biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons in an extremely acidic environment. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 64, 41804184CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Storgards, E., Tapani, K., Hartwall, P., Saleva, R. & Suihko, M. (2006) Microbial attachment and biofilm formation in brewery bottling plants. Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists 64, 815CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenderoth, D. F. & Abraham, W. (2005) Microbial indicator groups in acidic mining lakes. Environmental Microbiology 7, 133139CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
White, T. J., Bruns, T., Lee, S. & Taylor, J. (1990) Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. In PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Application, pp. 315322. Edited by Innis, M. A., Gelfand, D. H., Sninsky, J. J. & White, T. J.. San Diego: Academic PressGoogle Scholar
Yeates, C. & Gillings, M. R. (1998) Rapid purification of DNA from soil for molecular biodiversity analysis. Letters in Applied Microbiology 27, 4953CrossRefGoogle Scholar