Research Article

The Use of Two Culturing Methods in Parallel Reveals a High Prevalence and Diversity of Arcobacter spp. in a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Table 2

Arcobacter species detected according to the method at the 5 sampling points in the wastewater treatment plant on the 6 different sampling .

Species detected⁢m-PCR⁢Culturing method
DirectPostenrichmentDirectPostenrichment

A. butzleri (Ab)19 (100)15 (100)22 (78.6)24 (82.8)
A. cryaerophilus (Ac)10 (52.6)9 (60)27 (96.4)16 (55.2)
A. defluvii (Ad)002 (7.1)3 (10.3)
A. nitrofigilis (Anit)001 (3.6)0
A. cloacae (Aclo)0002 (6.9)
A. skirrowii (As)001 (3.6)2 (6.9)
A. thereius (At)003 (10.7)4 (13.8)
A. ellisii (Ae)002 (7.1)0

Sampling monthSampling point⁢m-PCR⁢Culturing method
DirectPostenrichmentDirectPostenrichment

April 2009Influent waterAc+AbNDAc+AnitAc+Ad+Aclo
Primary sedimentation tankAc+AbNDAc+Ab+AdAc+Ab
Secondary bioreactor tankNegativeNDAc+AdAc+Ad
Secondary sedimentation tankNegativeNDNegativeAb+Ad
Effluent waterNegativeNDNegativeNegative

June 2009Influent waterNegativeNDAc+AbAb
Primary sedimentation tankAbNDAc+AbAb
Secondary bioreactor tankNegativeNDAc+AbAb
Secondary sedimentation tankNegativeNDAcAc+Ab
Effluent waterNegativeNDAc+AbAb

October 2009Influent waterAc+AbNDAcAc+Ab
Primary sedimentation tankAc+AbNDAc+AbAc+Ab
Secondary bioreactor tankNegativeNDAcAb
Secondary sedimentation tankAbNDAc+AbAc+Ab
Effluent waterNegativeNDAc+AbAb

May 2011Influent waterAbAb+AcAc+AtAb+Ac+At
Primary sedimentation tankAb+AcAb+AcAb+Ac+AtAc+At
Secondary bioreactor tankAbAb+AcAb+Ac+AsAc+As
Secondary sedimentation tankAbAb+AcAb+AcAb+Ac
Effluent waterAbAb+AcAb+AcAb+Ac

June 2011Influent waterAb+AcAbAb+Ac+AeAb+As
Primary sedimentation tankAb+AcAbAb+AcAb+Ac
Secondary bioreactor tankAbAbAb+Ac+AtAt
Secondary sedimentation tankAbAbAb+AcAb+Ac+At
Effluent waterAbAbAb+AcAb

September 2011Influent waterAb+AcAb+AcAb+Ac+AeAb+Aclo
Primary sedimentation tankAb+AcAb+AcAb+AcAb
Secondary bioreactor tankAb+AcAb+AcAb+AcAb+Ac
Secondary sedimentation tankNegativeAbAbAb
Effluent waterNegativeAb+AcAb+AcAb+Ac

Total No. positive samples (%)19/30 (63.3)15/15 (100)28/30 (86.7)29/30 (86.7)

identified species are only mentioned once, independently of the number of strains obtained from each specific sample.
m-PCR: multiplex PCR Houf et al., 2000 [19]
ND: not done.