Open AccessMicrobiology of ‘ Candidatus Accumulibacter’ in activated sludge
Author(s) -
He Shaomei,
McMahon Katherine D.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2011.00248.x
Subject(s) - metagenomics , biology , candidatus , microbial ecology , enhanced biological phosphorus removal , population , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology , computational biology , sewage treatment , activated sludge , bacteria , genetics , medicine , gene , 16s ribosomal rna , environmental health , engineering , waste management
Summary ‘ Candidatus Accumulibacter’ is a biotechnologically important bacterial group that can accumulate large amounts of intracellular polyphosphate, contributing to biological phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment. Since its first molecular identification more than a decade ago, this bacterial group has drawn significant research attention due to its high abundance in many biological phosphorus removal systems. In the past 6 years, our understanding of Accumulibacter microbiology and ecophysiology has advanced rapidly, largely owing to genomic information obtained through shotgun metagenomic sequencing efforts. In this review, we focus on the metabolism, physiology, fine‐scale population structure and ecological distribution of Accumulibacter, aiming to integrate the information learned so far and to present a more complete picture of the microbiology of this important bacterial group.