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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 154-163, Vol. 75, No. 1
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01649-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Quantitative PCR Monitoring of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Bacterial Pathogens in Three European Artificial Groundwater Recharge Systems{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Uta Böckelmann ,1,{ddagger},§ Hans-Henno Dörries,1,¶,§ M. Neus Ayuso-Gabella,2 Miquel Salgot de Marçay,2 Valter Tandoi,3 Caterina Levantesi,3 Costantino Masciopinto,4 Emmanuel Van Houtte,5 Ulrich Szewzyk,1 Thomas Wintgens,6 and Elisabeth Grohmann1*

Department of Environmental Microbiology, Technical University Berlin, Franklinstr. 29, D-10587 Berlin, Germany,1 Unitat d'Edafologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, s/n, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain,2 Water Research Institute, CNR, Via Reno 1, 00198 Rome, Italy,3 Water Research Institute, CNR, Bari, Italy,4 Intermunicipal Water Company of the Veurne Region, Doornpannestraat 1, B-8670 Koksijde, Belgium,5 Institut für Verfahrenstechnik, RWTH Aachen, Turmstr. 46, D-52056 Aachen, Germany6

Received 17 July 2008/ Accepted 5 November 2008

Aquifer recharge presents advantages for integrated water management in the anthropic cycle, namely, advanced treatment of reclaimed water and additional dilution of pollutants due to mixing with natural groundwater. Nevertheless, this practice represents a health and environmental hazard because of the presence of pathogenic microorganisms and chemical contaminants. To assess the quality of water extracted from recharged aquifers, the groundwater recharge systems in Torreele, Belgium, Sabadell, Spain, and Nardò, Italy, were investigated for fecal-contamination indicators, bacterial pathogens, and antibiotic resistance genes over the period of 1 year. Real-time quantitative PCR assays for Helicobacter pylori, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, human pathogens with long-time survival capacity in water, and for the resistance genes ermB, mecA, blaSHV-5, ampC, tetO, and vanA were adapted or developed for water samples differing in pollutant content. The resistance genes and pathogen concentrations were determined at five or six sampling points for each recharge system. In drinking and irrigation water, none of the pathogens were detected. tetO and ermB were found frequently in reclaimed water from Sabadell and Nardò. mecA was detected only once in reclaimed water from Sabadell. The three aquifer recharge systems demonstrated different capacities for removal of fecal contaminators and antibiotic resistance genes. Ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis in the Torreele plant proved to be very efficient barriers for the elimination of both contaminant types, whereas aquifer passage followed by UV treatment and chlorination at Sabadell and the fractured and permeable aquifer at Nardò posed only partial barriers for bacterial contaminants.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Environmental Microbiology, Technical University Berlin, Franklinstr. 29, D-10587 Berlin, Germany. Phone: 49 3031473187. Fax: 49 3031473673. E-mail: Elisabeth.grohmann{at}tu-berlin.de

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 14 November 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.

{ddagger} Present address: Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Motardstrasse 35, 13629 Berlin, Germany.

§ U.B. and H.-H.D. contributed equally to the work.

Present address: BIOTECON Diagnostics, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 154-163, Vol. 75, No. 1
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01649-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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