Effect of single and combined exposures to UV-C and UV-A LEDs on the inactivation of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli in water disinfection

A system consisting of one UV-A (365 nm) and two UV-C (265 nm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was built to evaluate the effect of single and combined exposures to UV-A and UV-C LEDs on Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli inactivation and subsequent reactivation. The dose was measured by actinometry using potassium ferrioxalate. Of laboratory prepared samples, 10 mL were irradiated for 20, 30, 45, 60 and 90 s. Logarithmic inactivation and percentages of photoreactivation and dark repair were calculated. E. coli and K. pneumoniae were reduced by more than 7 and 4 logs, respectively, at a dose of 21.5 mJ cm−2 using UV-C. No positive synergistic effect on the inactivation of the two bacteria was observed when using a simultaneous combination of UV-C and UV-A, probably due to a reactivation of the bacteria in the presence of UV-A light, which was not observed in irradiated samples under an individual exposure of 265 nm. For E. coli under 265 nm, the percentage of photoreactivation amounted to 10%, 3 h after irradiation. The results of this study demonstrated the capacity to inactivate E. coli and K. pneumoniae up to a considerable level and provide information for the application of UV LEDs in point-of-use systems.

Reactivation of Giardia lamblia cysts after exposure to low-pressure UV irradiation

In this study, we determined the repair capabilities of Giardia lamblia cysts when they were exposed to low-pressure (LP) UV and then 4 different repair conditions. A UV collimated beam apparatus was used to expose shallow suspensions of G. lamblia cysts in buffered reagent water (PBS, pH 7.2) to various doses of LP UV irradiation. After UV irradiation, samples were exposed to 4 repair conditions (light and dark repair conditions with 2 temperatures (25 °C and 37 °C) for each condition). The inactivation of G. lamblia cysts by LP UV was very extensive (∼5 log10) even with a low dose of LP UV (1 mJ/cm2). More importantly, there was significant restoration of infectivity in G. lamblia cysts when they were exposed to a low dose of LP UV and then to all the repair conditions tested. Overall, the results of this study indicate that G. lamblia cysts do have the ability to repair their UV-damaged DNA when they are exposed to low doses of LP UV irradiation. This is the first study to report the presence of repair in UV-irradiated G. lamblia cysts.

Effects of ultraviolet light disinfection on tetracycline-resistant bacteria in wastewater effluents

The ubiquitous use of antibiotics has led to an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, including strains that are multidrug-resistant, pathogenic, or both. There is also evidence to suggest that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) spread to the environment, humans, and animals through wastewater effluents. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection on antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Wastewater effluent samples from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Texas were evaluated for differences in tetracycline-resistant bacteria before and after UV treatment. The effects of photoreactivation or dark repair on the reactivation of bacteria present in WWTP effluent after UV disinfection were also examined. Culture-based methods were used to characterize viable heterotrophic, tetracycline-resistant heterotrophic, Escherichia coli, and tetracycline-resistant E. coli bacteria present before and after UV treatment. UV disinfection was found to be as effective at reducing concentrations of resistant heterotrophs and E. coli, as it was at reducing total bacterial concentrations. The lowest survival ratio following UV disinfection was observed in tetracycline-resistant E. coli showing particular susceptibility to UV treatment. Photoreactivation and dark repair rates were found to be comparable to each other for all bacterial populations.

Mechanisms for Photoinactivation of Enterococcus faecalis in Seawater

ABSTRACTField studies in fresh and marine waters consistently show diel fluctuations in concentrations of enterococci, indicators of water quality. We investigated sunlight inactivation ofEnterococcus faecalisto gain insight into photoinactivation mechanisms and cellular responses to photostress.E. faecalisbacteria were exposed to natural sunlight in clear, filtered seawater under both oxic and anoxic conditions to test the relative importance of oxygen-mediated and non-oxygen-mediated photoinactivation mechanisms. Multiple methods were used to assess changes in bacterial concentration, including cultivation, quantitative PCR (qPCR), propidium monoazide (PMA)-qPCR, LIVE/DEAD staining using propidium iodide (PI), and cellular activity, including ATP concentrations and expression of the superoxide dismutase-encoding gene,sodA. Photoinactivation, based on numbers of cultivable cells, was faster in oxic than in anoxic microcosms exposed to sunlight, suggesting that oxygen-mediated photoinactivation dominated. There was little change in qPCR signal over the course of the experiment, demonstrating that the nucleic acid targets were not damaged to a significant extent. The PMA-qPCR signal was also fairly stable, consistent with the observation that the fraction of PI-permeable cells was constant. Thus, damage to the membrane was minimal. Microbial ATP concentrations decreased in all microcosms, particularly the sunlit oxic microcosms. The increase in relative expression of thesodAgene in the sunlit oxic microcosms suggests that cells were actively responding to oxidative stress. Dark repair was not observed. This research furthers our understanding of photoinactivation mechanisms and the conditions under which diel fluctuations in enterococci can be expected in natural and engineered systems.