Distribution and characteristics of pathogenic bacterial communities in wastewater treatment systems based on metagenomics

WANG Yucheng; SU Zhiguo; LI Feifei; WEN Donghui

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202509010

Volume 43 Issue 9

Sep. 2025

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WANG Yucheng, SU Zhiguo, LI Feifei, WEN Donghui. Distribution and characteristics of pathogenic bacterial communities in wastewater treatment systems based on metagenomics[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(9): 82-91. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509010

Citation:

WANG Yucheng, SU Zhiguo, LI Feifei, WEN Donghui. Distribution and characteristics of pathogenic bacterial communities in wastewater treatment systems based on metagenomics[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(9): 82-91. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509010

Citation:

WANG Yucheng, SU Zhiguo, LI Feifei, WEN Donghui. Distribution and characteristics of pathogenic bacterial communities in wastewater treatment systems based on metagenomics[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(9): 82-91. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509010

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Distribution and characteristics of pathogenic bacterial communities in wastewater treatment systems based on metagenomics

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509010

1. College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;
2. School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China;
3. Department of Environment, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China

Received Date: 2025-08-20
Available Online: 2025-11-05
Publish Date: 2025-09-01

Abstract

Abstract

Microorganisms， especially bacteria， play a crucial role in wastewater treatment processes. However， effluent from wastewater treatment plants releases bacteria， especially pathogenic bacteria， into the water environment. The health risks are a hidden danger that cannot be ignored. This study focuses on four different types of wastewater treatment systems， collected samples from influent， effluent from secondary sedimentation tanks （after biological treatment）， final effluent （after chemical treatment）， and conducted analysis of the physicochemical properties and bacterial community structures， as well as the influencing factors of the water samples. Community structure analysis showed that the Alpha and Beta diversity of non-pathogenic bacterial communities did not undergo significant changes during the wastewater treatment process， with 96% of total species present at all sites. The Shannon index of the pathogenic community in the effluent significantly reduced compared to the influent. In different wastewater treatment systems， the dynamics of pathogenic bacterial communities vary， and the relative abundance of some pathogenic bacteria increases in the effluent. The co-occurrence network shows that species with higher abundance in non-pathogenic communities have a stronger co-occurrence relationship with antibiotic resistance genes （ARGs）， while species with relatively lower abundance in pathogens have a relatively stronger co-occurrence relationship with ARGs. The influent community is more affected by pollution factors such as COD， total nitrogen， and total phosphorus， while the communities in the secondary sedimentation tanks and the effluents are affected by pH value. The pathogenic bacterial community is significantly affected by pH value. This study comprehensively reveals the distribution and characteristics of bacterial communities along the treatment processes of different wastewater treatment plants， indicating the potential health risks of pathogenic bacteria discharged to the receiving environment.
- wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs）,
- biological treatment process,
- metagenomics,
- pathogenic bacteria,
- heath risk

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References(44)

References

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