Bacteriophage-based biocontrol technology to enhance the efficiency of wastewater treatment and reduce targeted bacterial biofilms

Abstract

Wastewater treatment is an essential process for public health and a sustainable ecosystem. Inadequate wastewater treatment can lead to the release of organic and inorganic pollutants and pathogenic bacteria into the receiving waters which could be further utilized for recreation purposes. The interaction between bacteriophage and bacteria in a wastewater treatment plant plays a major role in maintaining the treatment process. Phage therapy has been proposed as an alternative to conventional treatment methods as bacteriophages can be used on specific targets and leave useful bacteria unharmed. The bacterial species, which are responsible for bulking, foaming, and biofilm formation in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) have been identified and their respective phages are isolated to control their growth. Phages with lytic life cycles are preferred to lysogenic. Lytic phages can kill the specific target as they lyse the cell, infect most of the hosts, and have an immediate effect on controlling problems caused by bacteria in a WWTP. The bacteriophages such as T7, SPI1, GTE7, PhaxI, MAG1, MAG2, ϕPh_Se01, ϕPh_Se02, and Bxb1 have been investigated for the removal of bacterial biofilms from wastewater. Novel experimental setups have improved the efficiency of phage therapy in small-scale and pilot-scale experiments. Much more in-depth knowledge of the microbial community and their interaction would help promote the usage of phage therapy in large-scale wastewater treatments. This paper has covered the recent advancements in phage therapy as an effective biocontrol of pathogenic bacteria in the wastewater treatment process and has looked at certain shortcomings that have to be improved.

Keywords: Bacteriophage; Environment; Phage therapy; Sustainability; Wastewater.