Using bacteriophages as biomonitoring tools for water quality measurements

Water security and sustainability in Qatar is a critical issue. The only source of drinking water is the desalinated seawater from the Arabian Gulf. The storage capacity for emergency use in case of desalination plants shutdown is limited. Consequently, in Qatar, water security is ranked as a top priority of the national grand challenges. Qatar can achieve water security and sustainability by having access to high quality, adequate, affordable and sustainable water that meets and supports its social and development programs. Water quality and safety is a key component on the water security of the country and several monitoring programs are conducted by the water authority (Kahramaa) for major and minor chemical and microbial contaminants. Challenges on sensitive and selective analytical tools are always present at the water production and consumption sides. Establishing novel monitoring methods will help to minimize costs and risks, enhance public awareness, and support stakeholders and policy makers. This project is aiming at using bacteriophages as biomonitoring tools for water quality measurements. This is needed to understand water quality properties that determine the bacterial occurrence and structure in the water distribution system of Doha. The novelty of this project is represented as being the first study ever considered in a distribution system for desalinated water. The methodology includes isolating bacteriophages from water samples in the distribution system, using computational tools to study the phage genomes and carefully select for candidate proteins that participate in specific interactions between the bacteriophage and pathogenic host. This will be followed by immobilization of these candidate peptides on beads that will function as traps to capture pathogenic bacteria within water samples that will then allow for identification of the contamination through molecular tools such as 16S PCR and sequencing of the hypervariable portions of the 16S rRNA regions in the bacteria genome. Overall, information gathered from studying the protein-protein interactions between bacteriophage and their host will provide a platform for further development of recombinant phages that can provide an effective and harmless method of disinfection. The project team is planning to conduct the following specific tasks: (1) Organize a community-based multidisciplinary group that will consist of representatives from government agencies (Ministries of Health & Environment), private sector (Water Company); academia; religious organizations; teachers and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The role of this group is to work with the research team in developing a study plan, implementation strategy, data sharing plan and how to translate the results into action plans that can be supported by all the stakeholders (2) This project is designed to conduct research to: (a) identify the principal sources of bacterial pollution in the distribution system using bacteriophages and taxonomy of the microbiome; (b) build detection tool to determine changes in water quality through detection of the composition of the microbiome in the main water lines versus the household plumbing system and studying the relationship to the chemical properties of the water; (d) characterize the effectiveness of point-of-entry (POE) and point-of-use (POU) filters on the chemical and microbiology quality of tap water. (e) work with the stakeholders to use the results of the study to develop some intervention program to minimize any risks in local tap water and a risk communication plan to inform the public on the health risks in their tap water. The expected outcomes of the project proposed aims to improve the monitoring process and the quality of water that reaches the end user. The project intends to accomplish this by: 1. Developing a new method for the detection and monitoring of bacteria in water using bacteriophages. 2. Understanding the behavior and relationship between bacteria and bacteriophages under environmental conditions related to arid country and harsh conditions. 3. Using a new analytical approach merging field lab and computational biology techniques. 4. Gather important data for future work in developing new safe and natural technologies for bacterial removal from water and wastewater through the use of bacteriophages. The expected outcomes and importance could be from the data of the study which can be used (i) in setting guidelines to safeguard public health (instead of just protecting pipes that convey the water); and (ii) develop a social marketing strategy to address the perceptual rejection of tap water by the public in Doha. Through these expected outcomes, the project team hopes to make a relevant impact on the perception of the public towards the safety of tap water. To accomplish this, the project team aims to work closely with water and health authorities, build collaborations with research and development units in hospitals and institutes and with academia to train future scientists in Qatar. This innovative approach to building a biomonitoring tool for detection of pathogenic bacterial contaminants will help alleviate expenditure through long processes of laboratory testing. It will help build Qatar’s capacity to readily assess water quality using a tool innovated within her country.