MICROBIOME ANALYSIS AND COUNTERMEASURE CONSIDERATIONS FOR INHIBITING MOLD ODOR PRODUCTION IN DAM RESERVOIRS

Abstract

 This study investigated through a year microbial communities targeting 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes using next-generation sequencing in a domestic dam reservoir in order to consider countermeasures against mold odor production. The results showed that the use of next-generation sequencing allowed for the detection of a significantly greater number of microbial species compared to microscopic examination, enabling a more detailed understanding of the microbial communities in the dam reservoir. Furthermore, it was possible to monitor a wide range of mold-producing species and species causing filtration problems in drinking water treatment plants, which were difficult to detect using conventional microscopy. Moreover, in terms of principal coordinate analysis comparing the microbial community similarities between samples, it was revealed that the microbial community in the bottom layer near the dam differed significantly from the surface and another bottom layer from late April to early October. Additionally, the relative abundance of mold-producing species was low during this period. Based on these findings, it was suggested that if the surface water near the dam could be transferred to the bottom layer near the dam using aeration circulation devices during this period to inhibite the growth of mold-producing species, it could potentially effectively reduce the mold odor in the dam reservoir.