Turkish Journal of Biology
DOI
-
Abstract
Wastewater treatment has gained increased importance worldwide due to increasing demand on fresh clean water supplies. Biological treatment achieved by the activities of micro-organisms, is one of the most widely used processes in the treatment of wastewater. High numbers and activities of some groups of micro-organisms are required to treat wastewater in biological processes. In contrast, some groups of micro-organisms must be absent from the system since their presence and activities cause problems in the treatment of wastewater. The structure and function of micro-organisms in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) have been investigated for decades. However, the identification of both the structure and function of these complex microbial communities is very limited with classical methods. Recently, it has become possible to identify micro-organisms with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in a cultivation-independent way. In this paper, how FISH is applied and the advantages and disadvantages of this method are considered. In addition, recent studies of FISH for characterizing micro-organisms in WWTP are discussed.
Keywords
Wastewater, in situ hybridization, molecular method, microbial ecology
First Page
57
Last Page
63
Recommended Citation
COŞKUNER, GÜLNUR (2002) "A New Molecular Technique for the Identification of Micro-organisms in Biological Treatment Plants: Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization," Turkish Journal of Biology: Vol. 26: No. 2, Article 2. Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/biology/vol26/iss2/2
