w Microbial Community Analysis

For a better understanding and control of water and wastewater treatment processes, it is
necessary to understand the microbial community strucure of the microorganisms used in the
treatment processes. So far, the difficulty in isolating microorganisms in water treatment
processes has forced water treatment engineers rather stay away from looking into the detailes
of the microbial community structure. But recently developed molecular methods are
expected to bring about a new methodology to look into the detailes of complex microbial
community structures in water and wastewater treatment processes.
In this chapter, application of different methods especially molecular methods for different
complex microbial communities related with water/wastewater treatment and environmental
samples are reported. The methods employed in the collected papers are summarized as
follows.

rRNA or rDNA targeted methods and reports

-FISH (Fluorescence in Situ hybridization) .................. Matsuo et al., Mino et al., Kurisu et al.
-HNPP-FISH (FISH with enhanced sensitivity by the introduction of enzymatic reactions) .....
....................................................................................................................................Nasu et al.
-PCR-DGGE (Polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) ............
....................................................................................Matsuo et al, Kurisu et al., and Liu et al.
-Cloning + sequencing ........................................................................... Oyaizu et al., Liu et al.
-ARDRA (amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis) .......... Tiedje et al., Hashsham et al.

phenotypic approach
-enzymatic activity .................................................................................................... Mino et al.
-fluorescence staining with 6CFDA and CTC ............................................................ Nasu et al.
-morphotype image analysis ...............................................................................Hashsham et al.

approach to functional genes

-primer design of PHB depolymerase gene and its application .................................... Sei et al.

combining methodology between microbial population structure and process performance

-artificial neural network approach ....................................................................Hashsham et al.

The applicability of the newly developed molecular methods are diversed. Depending on
the purpose of analysis and nature of the sample to be analyzed, the best suited method have
to be selected. While many of the molecular methods are targeted to genotypic information
which is located on ribosomal RNA and rDNA, a sequence on clomosomal DNA which is
complimentary to rRNA, some researchers are also trying to include phenotypic
characteristics such as morphology, enzymatic activities, and enzymatic genes.
We hope that complex microbial community structure be revieled simultaneously with its
dynamics and the functions of the microorganisms, so that water treatment performance is
discussed in combination with the microbial community structures.