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. | Turk J Biol 26 (2002) 57-63 © TÜB‹TAK Mini Review Article A New Molecular Technique for the Identification of Micro-organisms in Biological Treatment Plants: Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization Gülnur COfiKUNER Cumhuriyet University, Department of Environmental Engineering, 58140 Sivas - TURKEY Received: 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 cultivationindependent 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. Key Words: Wastewater, in situ hybridization, molecular method, microbial ecology Biyolojik Ar›tma Tesislerindeki Mikroorganizmalar›n Tan›s›nda Yeni Bir Moleküler Teknik: Yerinde Floresanl› Hibritleflme Özet: At›ksu ar›t›m› dünyada, temiz su kaynaklar›na artan ihtiyaçtan dolay› artan bir öneme sahiptir. Mikroorganizma gruplar›n›n aktiviteleri sonucu gerçekleflen biyolojik ar›t›m, günümüzde at›ksu ar›t›m›nda en çok kullan›lan proseslerden biridir. Biyolojik ar›tmada, at›ksuyun ar›t›m› için baz› mikroorganizma gruplar›n›n .
