Water security to protect human lives and support sustainable development is one of the greatest global challenges of this century.  Conventional disinfection and microbial control approaches are often insufficient to keep up with the increasing complexity and renewed relevance of this pressing challenge. This underscores the need for novel, more precise, and more sustainable microbial control technologies. Phages, which are viruses that exclusively infect bacteria, hold great promise for targeting problematic bacteria.  Promising applications for phage-based biocontrol include selectively suppressing bulking and foaming bacteria that hinder activated sludge clarification, mitigating proliferation of antibiotic resistant strains in biological wastewater treatment systems where broad-spectrum antimicrobials would impair pollutant biodegradation, and complementing biofilm eradication efforts to delay corrosion and biofouling. Phages could also mitigate harmful cyanobacteria blooms that produce toxins in source waters, and could also serve as substitutes for the prophylactic use of antibiotics and biocides in animal agriculture to reduce their discharge to source waters and the associated selective pressure for resistant bacteria. Here, we consider the phage lifecycle and its implications for bacterial control, and elaborate on the biochemical basis of such potential application niches in the water supply and reuse cycle. We also discuss potential technological barriers for phage-based bacterial control and suggest strategies and research needs to overcome them.

Going viral: Emerging opportunities for phage-based bacterial control in water treatment and reuse

2019 Fall National Meeting

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