Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2020

Publication Title

Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Volume

86

Issue

22

Keywords

cyanophage, microcystins, Microcystis, water treatment

Abstract

Western Lake Erie (Laurentian Great Lakes) is prone to annual cyano- bacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) dominated by Microcystis spp. that often yield microcystin toxin concentrations exceeding the federal EPA recreational con-tact advisory of 8 μg liter-1. In August 2014, microcystin levels were detected in fin-ished drinking water above the World Health Organization 1.0 μg liter-1 threshold for consumption, leading to a 2-day disruption in the supply of drinking water for >400,000 residents of Toledo, Ohio (USA). Subsequent metatranscriptomic analysis of the 2014 bloom event provided evidence that release of toxin into the water sup-ply was likely caused by cyanophage lysis that transformed a portion of the intracel-lular microcystin pool into the dissolved fraction, rendering it more difficult to elimi-nate during treatment. In August 2019, a similar increase in dissolved microcystins at the Toledo water intake was coincident with a viral lytic event caused by a phage consortium different in composition from what was detected following the 2014 To-ledo water crisis. The most abundant viral sequence in metagenomic data sets was a scaffold from a putative member of the Siphoviridae, distinct from the Ma-LMM01-like Myoviridae that are typically documented to occur in western Lake Erie. This study provides further evidence that viral activity in western Lake Erie plays a signifi-cant role in transformation of microcystins from the particulate to the dissolved frac-tion and therefore requires monitoring efforts from local water treatment plants. Ad-ditionally, identification of multiple lytic cyanophages will enable the development of a quantitative PCR toolbox to assess viral activity during cHABs. IMPORTANCE Viral attack on cHABs may contribute to changes in community com-position during blooms, as well as bloom decline, yet loss of bloom biomass does not eliminate the threat of cHAB toxicity. Rather, it may increase risks to the public by delivering a pool of dissolved toxin directly into water treatment utilities when the dominating Microcystis spp. are capable of producing microcystins. Detecting, characterizing, and quantifying the major cyanophages involved in lytic events will assist water treatment plant operators in making rapid decisions regarding the pool of microcystins entering the plant and the corresponding best practices to neutralize the toxin.

DOI

10.1128/AEM.01397-20

ISSN

00992240

E-ISSN

10985336

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

PubMed ID

32859600

Download

Share

COinS