AUTHOR=Azmuda Nafisa , Fakruddin Md. , Khan Sirajul Islam , Birkeland Nils-Kåre 

TITLE=Bacterial Community Profiling of Tropical Freshwaters in Bangladesh

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00115

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2019.00115

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<p>Seasonal and spatial variations in the bacterial communities of two tropical freshwater sources in Bangladesh, Lake Dhanmondi in central Dhaka, and a pond in the outskirts of Dhaka, were assessed and compared using PCR-DGGE and deep sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, as well as heterotrophic enrichments using water samples collected at nine different time points during 1 year. Temporal and spatial variations of common aquatic bacterial genera were observed, but no clear seasonal variations could be depicted. The major bacterial genera identified from these two sites were members of the <italic>Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Chloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia</italic>, and <italic>Firmicutes</italic>. Among the proteobacterial groups, members of the <italic>α</italic><italic>-</italic>, <italic>β</italic><italic>-</italic>, and <italic>γ</italic><italic>- Proteobacteria</italic> predominated. <italic>γ</italic><italic>- Proteobacteria</italic> belonging to the <italic>Escherichia coli/Shigella</italic> group even the diarrheagenic pathotypes of <italic>E. coli</italic> e.g., EPEC and ETEC were detected in most samples throughout the year, with no apparent correlations with other microbial groups. The other pathotypes, EHEC, EAEC, and EIEC/<italic>Shigella</italic> spp. were also detected occasionally. This study represents the first thorough analysis of the microbial diversity of tropical freshwater systems in Bangladesh.</p>