Isolation and characterization of a new bacteriophage against Rhodococcus erythropolis

Abstract

Activated-sludge is the most common biotechnology to treat wastewaters. In the aerating tank of these systems, a true ecosystem develops, being bacteria the key play-ers in the depuration process. Frequently, filamentous bacteria grow exaggeratedly, being the source of two well phenomena that cause significant throwbacks in the process: bulking and foaming. (Rhodococcus eryth-ropolis) is a gram positive filamentous bacterium previ-ously identified as responsible for the formation of foams in activated-sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that specif-ically infect bacteria, using the bacterial machinery to reproduce themselves in a very efficient way. They are the most abundant entities in the biosphere, being found in every environment where their bacterial hosts are present. In this work, one lytic phage for (R. eryth-ropolis) was isolated, using sewage water from an urban WWTP. The phage was tested against other species found in WWTP to conclude about its lytic spectra. Stability of the phage solution at different temperatures and pH was determined. Morphologic analysis by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Genomic Sequencing were also performed. Results clearly indicate the potential of this bac-teriophage for future studies in wastewater treatment system management.