Influence of sewage effluent discharge on putative pathogen community in drinking water sources: insights from full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing

Abstract

The discharge of sewage effluent is a major source of microbial contamination in drinking water sources, necessitating a comprehensive investigation of its impact on pathogenic bacterial communities. This study utilized full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to identify putative pathogenic bacteria and analyze their community structures in drinking water sources subjected to different levels of fecal pollution: urban rivers with low, moderate, and high sewage effluent mixing ratios, and mountain streams with minimal human impact. The sewage effluent itself was also analyzed. Mountain streams primarily harbored environmental pathogens, whereas urban rivers exhibited significantly higher concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (i.e., Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens) along with markedly more diverse enteric pathogens with a higher relative abundance. Furthermore, within urban rivers, the putative pathogen communities displayed significant variation, closely aligning with the sewage effluent mixing ratios. The effectiveness of FIBs as indicators of enteric pathogens was found to be largely dependent on the levels of fecal pollution. This study offers novel insights into the impact of sewage effluent discharge on putative pathogenic bacterial communities with enhanced species-level resolution.