SRA

Microbial communities in surface waters used for recreational purposes are indicators of contamination and risk of contact with human pathogens. Hence, monitoring microbial communities in recreational waters is important for public health. Such monitoring is rare in Colombia, even in its capital, Bogotá, the most populous city in the country. This city encompasses metropolitan and linear parks with recreational water bodies that are used frequently by the public, and the presence of pathogens can compromise the health of the citizens. We examined the bacterial, and eukaryotic communities in urban recreational lakes (URL) in four metropolitan parks (Los Novios, Simon Bolivar, El Tunal and Timiza) and one stream contaminated with sewage from a linear park (El Virrey) in Bogotá, Colombia. General water quality parameters?pH, hardness, acidity, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, and nitrites?were recorded using a commercial kit. Approximately 10 liters of water from each water body were collected, and 500 mL were used for the filtration process. After DNA extraction, amplicon next-generation sequencing of the 16S-rRNA and 18S-rRNA was used to characterize microbial communities. Using R packages, we performed a bioinformatic analysis of the sequences and a subsequent description of the microorganisms found in the five water bodies. Genera of pathogens, including Legionella, Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium, Candida, and Naegleria, were found in lake waters. The stream El Virrey was, however, the only surface water that showed an abundance of fecal indicator bacteria, often associated with low oxygen concentrations. All water bodies showed a predominance of fungal phyla, except for the lake at Timiza. This lake showed the highest pH, and its ecological dynamics are likely different from other water bodies. Likewise, some urban recreational lakes displayed a greater abundance of cyanobacteria, including toxin-producing species. with the capacity to produce toxins. Algal genera associated with eutrophication were predominant among primary producing microorganisms. This study shows for the first time that some urban recreational lakes and a stream of Bogotá city support prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms that may pose a health risk for both animals and humans.