Identification of the harmful cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa in the urban wetlands El Loto, from Llanquihue city, Chile, using metagenomic and microbiological approaches

Cyanobacterial blooms impact water bodies and represent serious implications for human, animal, and environmental health. Urban wetlands are endangered ecosystems as they are more susceptible to the eutrophication and proliferation of cyanobacteria with toxic potential. Here, we studied three urban wetlands in the Chilean Northern Patagonia to describe their microbiological communities using 16S amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. A heterogenous abundance of different phyla was detected among all the studied wetlands. In addition, a high abundance of cyanobacteria phyla and Microcystis genus was described using both 16S amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Cyanobacteria culture and isolation were performed for molecular identification through specific cyanobacterial PCR. The presence of Microcystis aeruginosa was confirmed using Sanger sequencing of cyanobacterial PCR products. This is the first description of the high abundance of M. aeruginosa in urban wetlands in northern Chilean Patagonia using metagenomic and microbiological approaches.