Shotgun Metagenomics Reveals Impacts of Copper and Water Heater Anodes on Pathogens and Microbiomes in Hot Water Plumbing Systems.

ABSTRACT: Hot water building plumbing systems are vulnerable to the proliferation of opportunistic pathogens (OPs), including Legionella pneumophila and Mycobacterium avium. Implementation of copper as a disinfectant could help reduce OPs, but a mechanistic understanding of the effects on the microbial community under real-world plumbing conditions is lacking. Here, we carried out a controlled pilot-scale study of hot water systems and applied shotgun metagenomic sequencing to examine the effects of copper dose (0-2 mg/L), orthophosphate corrosion control agent, and water heater anode materials (aluminum vs magnesium vs powered anode) on the bulk water and biofilm microbiome composition. Metagenomic analysis revealed that, even though a copper dose of 1.2 mg/L was required to reduce

SUBMITTER: Song Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10501123 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature