Are some putative glycogen accumulating organisms (GAO) in anaerobic:aerobic activated sludge systems members of the alpha-Proteobacteria?

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2004

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Beer, M.J.
Kong, Y.
Seviour, R.

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Microbiology (United Kingdom), 2004; 150(7):2267-2275

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<jats:p> Activated sludge plants designed to remove phosphorus microbiologically often perform unreliably. One suggestion is that the polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO) are out-competed for substrates by another group of bacteria, the glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAO) in the anaerobic zones of these processes. This study used fluorescence <jats:italic>in situ</jats:italic> hybridization (FISH) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to analyse the communities from laboratory-scale anaerobic : aerobic sequencing batch reactors. Members of the genus <jats:italic>Sphingomonas</jats:italic> in the <jats:italic>α</jats:italic> - <jats:italic>Proteobacteria</jats:italic> were present in large numbers in communities with poor phosphorus removal capacity where the biomass had a high glycogen content. Their ability to store poly- <jats:italic>β</jats:italic> -hydroxyalkanoates anaerobically, but not aerobically, and not accumulate polyphosphate aerobically is consistent with these organisms behaving as GAO there. No evidence was found to support an important role for the <jats:italic>γ</jats:italic> - <jats:italic>Proteobacteria</jats:italic> as possible GAO in these communities, although these bacterial populations have been considered in other studies to act as possible competitors for the PAO. </jats:p>

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