Biofilm found in saprobic rivers
A photo of sewage fungus found in the River Crane (London, England)
Sewage fungus [ 1] (also known as undesirable river biofilms, URBs) is a polymicrobial biofilm (a microbial mat ) that proliferates in saprobic rivers[ 2] and has been frequently used as a bioindicator [ 3] [ 4] of organic river pollution for the past century.[ 5] Its presence has been strongly associated with discharges of untreated or inadequately treated sewage,[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] yet its presence extends beyond these areas, with contributors including airport de-ice fluid runoff,[ 10] [ 11] [ 12] papermill effluents,[ 13] and agricultural runoff.[ 14] [ 15]
The name "sewage fungus" is somewhat of a misnomer,[ 5] as these growths are not primarily fungal in nature. Instead, they are complex polymicrobial mats bound within a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances . The bacterial taxa most frequently associated with this phenomenon include Sphaerotilus natans , Zoogloea spp . , Beggiatoa spp . , and Rhodoferax spp .[ 11] [ 16] [ 17]
^ Exton, Ben; Hassard, Francis; Medina-Vaya, Angel; Grabowski, Robert C. (April 2024). "Undesirable river biofilms: The composition, environmental drivers, and occurrence of sewage fungus" . Ecological Indicators . 161 : 111949. doi :10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111949 . ISSN 1470-160X .
^ Curtis, E.J.C. (May 1969). "Sewage fungus: Its nature and effects" . Water Research . 3 (5): 289–311. Bibcode :1969WatRe...3..289C . doi :10.1016/0043-1354(69)90084-0 .
^ "Freshwater Biology and Ecology Handbook" . Foundation for Water Research . Retrieved 2022-08-15 .
^ Quinn, McFarlane (1985). "Sewage fungus as a monitor of water quality" . Biological Monitoring in Freshwaters: Proceedings of a Seminar .
^ a b Butcher, R.W. (August 1932). "Contribution to our knowledge of the ecology of sewage fungus" . Transactions of the British Mycological Society . 17 (1–2): 112–IN4. doi :10.1016/S0007-1536(32)80029-X .
^ Chonova, Teofana; Labanowski, Jérôme; Cournoyer, Benoit; Chardon, Cécile; Keck, François; Laurent, Élodie; Mondamert, Leslie; Vasselon, Valentin; Wiest, Laure; Bouchez, Agnès (April 2018). "River biofilm community changes related to pharmaceutical loads emitted by a wastewater treatment plant" . Environmental Science and Pollution Research . 25 (10): 9254–9264. doi :10.1007/s11356-017-0024-0 . ISSN 0944-1344 . PMID 28884270 . S2CID 3997467 .
^ Curtis, E.J.C.; Harrington, D.W. (June 1971). "The occurrence of sewage fungus in rivers in the United Kingdom" . Water Research . 5 (6): 281–290. Bibcode :1971WatRe...5..281C . doi :10.1016/0043-1354(71)90173-4 .
^ Harrison, Heukelekian (1958). "Slime Infestation: Literature Review" . Sewage and Industrial Wastes . 30 (10): 1278–1302. JSTOR 25033719 – via JSTOR.
^ Hammond, Peter; Suttie, Michael; Lewis, Vaughan T.; Smith, Ashley P.; Singer, Andrew C. (2021-03-11). "Detection of untreated sewage discharges to watercourses using machine learning" . npj Clean Water . 4 (1). doi :10.1038/s41545-021-00108-3 . ISSN 2059-7037 . S2CID 232173162 .
^ Mericas, Dean; Sturman, Paul; Lutz, Michelle; Corsi, Steve; Cieciek, Chris; Boltz, Josh; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Airport Cooperative Research Program; Transportation Research Board (2014-11-03). Understanding Microbial Biofilms in Receiving Waters Impacted by Airport Deicing Activities . Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board. doi :10.17226/22262 . ISBN 978-0-309-30809-0 .
^ a b Exton, Benjamin; Hassard, Francis; Medina Vaya, Angel; Grabowski, Robert C. (2023-03-01). "Polybacterial shift in benthic river biofilms attributed to organic pollution – a prospect of a new biosentinel?" . Hydrology Research . 54 (3): 348–359. doi :10.2166/nh.2023.114 . ISSN 0029-1277 . S2CID 257347315 .
^ Nott, Michelle A.; Driscoll, Heather E.; Takeda, Minoru; Vangala, Mahesh; Corsi, Steven R.; Tighe, Scott W. (2020-01-22). Loiselle, Steven Arthur (ed.). "Advanced biofilm analysis in streams receiving organic deicer runoff" . PLOS ONE . 15 (1): e0227567. Bibcode :2020PLoSO..1527567N . doi :10.1371/journal.pone.0227567 . ISSN 1932-6203 . PMC 6975536 . PMID 31968006 .
^ Roberts, J.C. (1978). "Sewage fungus growth in rivers below papermill discharges". New Processes for Wastewater Treatment and Recovery : 140–158.
^ Rutt, G.P.; Pickering, T.D.; Reynolds, N.R.M. (1993). "The impact of livestock-farming on welsh streams: The development and testing of a rapid biological method for use in the assessment and control of organic pollution from farms" . Environmental Pollution . 81 (3): 217–228. doi :10.1016/0269-7491(93)90205-3 . PMID 15091808 .
^ Seager, J.; Jones, F.; Rutt, G. (February 1992). "Assessment and Control of Farm Pollution" . Water and Environment Journal . 6 (1): 48–53. doi :10.1111/j.1747-6593.1992.tb00737.x . ISSN 1747-6585 .
^ Geatches, Gething, Rutt (2014). 'Sewage fungus': A field and microscopic guide . Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. {{cite book }}
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^ Curtis, E.J.C.; Curds, C.R. (December 1971). "Sewage fungus in rivers in the United Kingdom: The slime community and its constituent organisms" . Water Research . 5 (12): 1147–1159. Bibcode :1971WatRe...5.1147C . doi :10.1016/0043-1354(71)90080-7 .