Urban Sewer System Is an Incubator of Sewage-Derived Mercury-Methylating Microorganisms: A New Public Health...

The release of sewage-derived Hg-methylating (hgcA) microorganisms is found to be the main contributor to global surges of MeHg levels in urban rivers, posing significant risks to ecosystems and public health. However, the sources and drivers of these microorganisms remain unclear. This study integrated global metagenomic analysis, field sampling, and laboratory experiments to investigate their sources and driving mechanisms in sewage. Large-scale public metagenomic analyses revealed that external microbial sources, such as drinking water and feces, contribute negligibly to Hg-methylating communities in sewage. Consistently, in our field sampling, sewage discharged directly from building drainage stacks─prior to entering sewer systems─ contained almost no detectable hgcA genes. However, as sewage flows through sewer systems, hgcA gene abundance increased by 19- to 58-fold, with sequences identical to those in sewer biofilms, suggesting biofilm detachment as the primary source. Laboratory-scale sewer reactor experiments further demonstrated that biofilm maturation was accompanied by an increased hgcA abundance and elevated MeHg production rates. Metabolic profiling of hgcA-bearing MAGs revealed their key adaptive strategies in sewer environments. These findings suggest that urban sewers unexpectedly act as incubators for Hg-methylators, facilitating their prevalence in sewage and increasing the risk of downstream MeHg production. This finding underscores the urgent need to optimize sewer infrastructure and management strategies to address this emerging public health threat.