Potential pathogen communities in highly polluted river ecosystems: Geographical distribution and environmental...

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Water quality assessment
• Ecology

Background:

• Pathogenic bacteria pose risks to human health and aquatic ecosystems.
• Traditional risk assessments lack comprehensive community-level analysis due to limited taxonomic coverage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess potential pathogenic bacterial communities in the North Canal River (NCR) using high-throughput sequencing and metacommunity concepts.
• To identify key environmental factors driving community composition and geographical variation.

Main Methods:

• High-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze bacterial communities.
• Metacommunity concepts were applied to understand community structure across environmental gradients.
• Statistical analyses identified dominant ecological processes and influential environmental variables.

Main Results:

• 48 genera of potential pathogens were identified, with Acinetobacter being the most abundant.
• Significant geographical variation in bacterial community composition and structure was observed along the river.
• Environmental filtering, driven by total nitrogen, was the primary mechanism influencing community variation.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a comprehensive profile of pathogenic bacteria in the NCR, highlighting Acinetobacter.
• Incorporating identified pathogens into monitoring and management is recommended for polluted rivers.
• Understanding environmental drivers aids in early warning and risk assessment of pathogenic bacteria.