Until recently, it has been believed that culture-dependent methods utilizing indicator microorganisms offer sufficient assurance of water microbial safety. However, these techniques fail to identify all species in the water, particularly viable non-culturable organisms. In this study, non-culturable indicator organisms were found in samples collected from five municipalities in Hangzhou China.
Using concentration with the Concentrating Pipette and metagenomic sequencing, non-culturable microorganisms present in water samples could be identified. Most bacteria, archaea (extremophiles), and viruses within the total species diversity were identified in all water samples.
Their result provide insight into bacteria, viruses, virulence-associated factors, and metabolic processes present in drinking water from various regions, yielding new information on the microbial community structure of tap water and its associated gene functions. Effective surveillance of clean and safe sanitation water is very important to the protection of public health.
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Microbial community of municipal drinking water in Hangzhou using metagenomic sequencing, Lan, et al
Environmental Pollution Volume 342, 1 February 2024, 123066
