Bacteriophages in water pollution control: Advantages and limitations

*Phages can be better indicators of enteric viruses than fecal indicator bacteria. *Multiple phages should be added to the microbial source tracking toolbox. *Engineered phage or phage cocktail can effectively target resistant bacteria. *In phage use, phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer cannot b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers of environmental science & engineering 2021-10, Vol.15 (5), p.84-84, Article 84
Main Authors: Ji, Mengzhi, Liu, Zichen, Sun, Kaili, Li, Zhongfang, Fan, Xiangyu, Li, Qiang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotics
Bacteria
Bacterial resistance
Biofilms
Biosensors
Biosphere
Breeding grounds
Bulking sludge
Cyanobacteria
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Environmental monitoring
Feces
Gene transfer
Harmful bacteria biocontrol
Horizontal gene transfer
Horizontal transfer
Indicator organisms
Microorganisms
Pathogens
Phage
Phages
Pollution control
Pollution sources
Research Article
Sludge
Viruses
Wastewater pollution
Wastewater treatment
Water pollution
Water pollution control
Water pollution monitoring
Water quality
Water treatment
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Summary:*Phages can be better indicators of enteric viruses than fecal indicator bacteria. *Multiple phages should be added to the microbial source tracking toolbox. *Engineered phage or phage cocktail can effectively target resistant bacteria. *In phage use, phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer cannot be ignored. *More schemes are needed to prevent phage concentration from decreasing. Wastewater is a breeding ground for many pathogens, which may pose a threat to human health through various water transmission pathways. Therefore, a simple and effective method is urgently required to monitor and treat wastewater. As bacterial viruses, bacteriophages (phages) are the most widely distributed and abundant organisms in the biosphere. Owing to their capacity to specifically infect bacterial hosts, they have recently been used as novel tools in water pollution control. The purpose of this review is to summarize and evaluate the roles of phages in monitoring pathogens, tracking pollution sources, treating pathogenic bacteria, infecting bloom-forming cyanobacteria, and controlling bulking sludge and biofilm pollution in wastewater treatment systems. We also discuss the limitations of phage usage in water pollution control, including phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer, the evolution of bacterial resistance, and phage concentration decrease. This review provides an integrated outlook on the use of phages in water pollution control.
ISSN:2095-2201
2095-221X
DOI:10.1007/s11783-020-1378-y