16S rRNA sequence analysis of bacteria present in foaming activated sludge

The formation of a stable viscous foam on activated sludge aeration basin surfaces is a world wide problem. Foam is usually comprised of filamentous bacteria occurring predominantly in the mixed liquor. The lack of availability of pure cultures of most filaments and the limited amount of characterisation data available for them, means that our current understanding of their taxonomic position is very poor and their relationship to other bacteria are not known. 16S rDNA sequencing was used in an attempt to identify the bacteria in a foaming sample from the Centurion Waste Water Treatment Plant in Gauteng South Africa.