Aster Bio’s molecular testing capabilities include running 16s rRNA to conduct a total bacterial and archaeal (when needed) census for wastewater systems. The use of high throughput sequencing allows us do dive into what is doing the work in a biological treatment system. It identifies both good and bad actors and gives early warning of potential problems. When we first introduce this technology in 2017, the challenge was speeding up test turn-around-time (you don’t want to wait 4 – 6 weeks for operational test data) and reducing test cost which was much higher than standard operational tests. We have improved our equipment and testing methods to get a 4 – 7 business day TNT and have reduced costs by over 50% since we started testing. Another challenge was making the MCA and other molecular tests useful to operations. Early reports included 30 pages of pie charts and multiple spreadsheets that took hours to look up microbes and interpret the results. We have also improved this by creating a single spreadsheet for summarizing the results and giving users access to a secure online database for tracking trends in their system.
For a bit of background, Microbial Community Analysis (MCA) uses genetic information found in all bacteria and archaea as a “bar code”. The bar code is then processed through wastewater specific microbial databases for identification down to the genus level. At first, this was admittedly an academic exercise as the data generated from a single test often includes 70,000+ reads and over 100 MB of data. Making sense of the data was one of our earlier challenges.
The MCA report
Functional Groups Summary
This is the quick glance portion of the report. Genera with known ecological niches and biochemical pathways are classified into the groups of most concern to WW operations. The functional group summary allows for easy time series tracking of population drift associated with time and any operational changes. Below is the Function Groups Summary table - with % of reads in each functional group.
For a bit of background, Microbial Community Analysis (MCA) uses genetic information found in all bacteria and archaea as a “bar code”. The bar code is then processed through wastewater specific microbial databases for identification down to the genus level. At first, this was admittedly an academic exercise as the data generated from a single test often includes 70,000+ reads and over 100 MB of data. Making sense of the data was one of our earlier challenges.
The MCA report
Functional Groups Summary
This is the quick glance portion of the report. Genera with known ecological niches and biochemical pathways are classified into the groups of most concern to WW operations. The functional group summary allows for easy time series tracking of population drift associated with time and any operational changes. Below is the Function Groups Summary table - with % of reads in each functional group.
Diving Deeper into the report
After the Function Group Summary, top genera at >0.1% of total reads are listed in a table with their known functions. This gives information on system microbial diversity. This list can be over 100 genera in length, but below is a short example of the table.
After the Function Group Summary, top genera at >0.1% of total reads are listed in a table with their known functions. This gives information on system microbial diversity. This list can be over 100 genera in length, but below is a short example of the table.
Another useful tool in the output is the Taxonomic Chart
As we run the raw sequences through the databases, the reads are moved to increasingly specific classification. We move from Kingdom in steps down to Genus ID. Some reads do not fit and get stuck at higher levels. This data is not discarded, we know the reads and can make inferences based on information gathered from other systems. Below is the Taxonomic Chart presenting how the sequences are classified from less to more specific.
As we run the raw sequences through the databases, the reads are moved to increasingly specific classification. We move from Kingdom in steps down to Genus ID. Some reads do not fit and get stuck at higher levels. This data is not discarded, we know the reads and can make inferences based on information gathered from other systems. Below is the Taxonomic Chart presenting how the sequences are classified from less to more specific.
Experience in WW application of molecular testing
As a wastewater technology company with an advanced molecular testing lab, Aster Bio specializes in interpreting and working with our customers to deliver benefits from these new monitoring tools. Every facility has different needs and objectives, we look at each application as a way to further explore the wastewater microbiome and improve test usefulness. If you are interested in learning more about MCA and other molecular testing options, visit our website at www.environmentalgenomics.com, call us at 713.724.0082 or drop us an email at [email protected].
As a wastewater technology company with an advanced molecular testing lab, Aster Bio specializes in interpreting and working with our customers to deliver benefits from these new monitoring tools. Every facility has different needs and objectives, we look at each application as a way to further explore the wastewater microbiome and improve test usefulness. If you are interested in learning more about MCA and other molecular testing options, visit our website at www.environmentalgenomics.com, call us at 713.724.0082 or drop us an email at [email protected].
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