The Emmy-Noether Junior Research Group Microbial Systems focuses on the investigation of microbial processes in aquatic and technical systems ranging from biological wastewater treatment to surface water ecosystems. Microorganisms are tiny, yet crucial organism that cycle our planets resources and keep our biosphere balanced, and thus provide vital ecosystem services. We are interested in the microbiomes of engineered and natural water treatment. Therefore, our overall aim is to develop tools that specifically measure and qualitatively assess microbes and their functions in water systems. We perform hypothesis driven and descriptive research that allows to link microbes to ecosystem services.

Our research hereby focus on the interaction and diversity of organisms within microbial biofilms with a focus on fungi and their function. Fungi produce very efficient exoenzymes that can transform difficult-to-degrade organic substances. Of particular interest are the largely unexplored aquatic fungi and their diverse functions in the environment. Further research is concerned with the characterization of the taxonomic and functional diversity of microbial communities with specific functions, e.g. with regard to microbial degradation or antibiotic resistance genes in the water cycle. Here, we focus on diverse biomarkers. Most recently, we have examined the potential of biomarkers in wastewater by quantifying biomarkers from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This can be used to monitor the pandemic in the population and report it back to public health officials.

 

Latest Publications

  • Uchaikina, Anna; Mitranescu, Alexander; Kau, Anna‐Sonia; Kluge, Mariana; Stange, Claudia; Ho, Johannes; Tiehm, Andreas; Wurzbacher, Christian; Drewes, Jörg E.: Abwasserepidemiologie für SARS‐CoV‐2‐Biomarker: tageszeitliche Schwankungen der Biomarker in Abhängigkeit von der Gemeindegröße. Vom Wasser 121 (3), 2023, 86-88 more…
  • Sperle, P.; Khan, M.S.; Skibinski, B.; Wurzbacher, C.; Drewes, J.E.: Optimizing UVC-disinfection using LEDs as an energy efficient pre-treatment for biofouling control in spiral-wound membrane systems. Desalination 557, 2023, 116589 more…
  • Wilhelm, Alexander; Schoth, Jens; Meinert-Berning, Christina; Bastian, Daniel; Blum, Helmut; Elsinga, Goffe; Graf, Alexander; Heijnen, Leo; Ho, Johannes; Kluge, Mariana; Krebs, Stefan; Stange, Claudia; Uchaikina, Anna; Dolny, Regina; Wurzbacher, Christian; Drewes, Jörg E.; Medema, Gertjan; Tiehm, Andreas; Ciesek, Sandra; Teichgräber, Burkhard; Wintgens, Thomas; Weber, Frank-Andreas; Widera, Marek: Interlaboratory comparison using inactivated SARS-CoV-2 variants as a feasible tool for quality control in COVID-19 wastewater monitoring. Science of The Total Environment 903, 2023, 166540 more…
  • Hübner, Uwe; Wurzbacher, Christian; Helbling, Damian E.; Drewes, Jörg E.: Engineering of managed aquifer recharge systems to optimize biotransformation of trace organic chemicals. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 27, 2022, 100343 more…
  • Hiller, Christian X.; Schwaller, Christoph; Wurzbacher, Christian; Drewes, Jörg E.: Removal of antibiotic microbial resistance by micro- and ultrafiltration of secondary wastewater effluents at pilot scale. Science of The Total Environment 838, 2022, 156052 more…
  • Mitranescu, Alexander; Uchaikina, Anna; Kau, Anna-Sonia; Stange, Claudia; Ho, Johannes; Tiehm, Andreas; Wurzbacher, Christian; Drewes, Jörg E.: Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 Biomarkers: Evaluation of Normalization Methods in Small and Large Communities in Southern Germany. ACS ES&T Water 2 (12), 2022, 2460-2470 more…
  • Cao, Lijia; Wolff, David; Liguori, Renato; Wurzbacher, Christian; Wick, Arne: Microbial Biomass, Composition, and Functions Are Responsible for the Differential Removal of Trace Organic Chemicals in Biofiltration Systems: A Batch Study. Frontiers in Water 4, 2022 more…
  • Abarenkov, Kessy; Kristiansson, Erik; Ryberg, Martin; Nogal-Prata, Sandra; Gómez-Martínez, Daniela; Stüer-Patowsky, Katrin; Jansson, Tobias; Põlme, Sergei; Ghobad-Nejhad, Masoomeh; Corcoll, Natàlia; Scharn, Ruud; Sánchez-García, Marisol; Khomich, Maryia; Wurzbacher, Christian; Nilsson, R. Henrik: The curse of the uncultured fungus. MycoKeys 86, 2022, 177-194 more…
  • Mitranescu, Alexander; Uchaikina, Anna; Kau, Anna-Sonia; Stange, Claudia; Ho, Johannes; Tiehm, Andreas; Wurzbacher, Christian; Drewes, Jörg E.: Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 Biomarkers: Evaluation of Normalization Methods in Small and Large Communities in Southern Germany. ACS ES&T Water, 2022 more…
  • Roßmann, Katalyn; Großmann, Gerd; Frangoulidis, Dimitrios; Clasen, Rüttger; Münch, Manuel; Hasenknopf, Manfred; Wurzbacher, Christian; Tiehm, Andreas; Stange, Claudia; Ho, Johannes; Woermann, Marion; Drewes, Jörg E.: Innovatives SARS-CoV-2-Krisenmanagement im öffentlichen Gesundheitswesen: Corona-Dashboard und Abwasserfrühwarnsystem am Beispiel Berchtesgadener Land. Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz 65 (3), 2021, 367-377 more…
  • Roßmann, Katalyn; Großmann, Gerd; Frangoulidis, Dimitrios; Clasen, Rüttger; Münch, Manuel; Hasenknopf, Manfred; Wurzbacher, Christian; Tiehm, Andreas; Stange, Claudia; Ho, Johannes; Woermann, Marion; Drewes, Jörg E.: Innovatives SARS-CoV-2-Krisenmanagement im öffentlichen Gesundheitswesen: Corona-Dashboard und Abwasserfrühwarnsystem am Beispiel Berchtesgadener Land. Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz, 2021 more…
  • Voigt, Kerstin; James, Timothy Y.; Kirk, Paul M.; Santiago, André L. C. M. de A.; Waldman, Bruce; Griffith, Gareth W.; Fu, Minjie; Radek, Renate; Strassert, Jürgen F. H.; Wurzbacher, Christian; Jerônimo, Gustavo Henrique; Simmons, David R.; Seto, Kensuke; Gentekaki, Eleni; Hurdeal, Vedprakash G.; Hyde, Kevin D.; Nguyen, Thuong T. T.; Lee, Hyang Burm: Early-diverging fungal phyla: taxonomy, species concept, ecology, distribution, anthropogenic impact, and novel phylogenetic proposals. Fungal Diversity 109 (1), 2021, 59-98 more…
  • Kluge, Mariana; Wurzbacher, Christian; Wauthy, Maxime; Clemmensen, Karina Engelbrecht; Hawkes, Jeffrey Alistair; Einarsdottir, Karolina; Stenlid, Jan; Peura, Sari: Community composition of aquatic fungi across the thawing Arctic. Scientific Data 8 (1), 2021 more…
  • Strassert, Jürgen F. H.; Wurzbacher, Christian; Hervé, Vincent; Antany, Taraha; Brune, Andreas; Radek, Renate: Long rDNA amplicon sequencing of insect-infecting nephridiophagids reveals their affiliation to the Chytridiomycota and a potential to switch between hosts. Scientific Reports 11 (1), 2021 more…
  • Kluge, Mariana; Wauthy, Maxime; Clemmensen, Karina Engelbrecht; Wurzbacher, Christian; Hawkes, Jeffrey A.; Einarsdottir, Karolina; Rautio, Milla; Stenlid, Jan; Peura, Sari: Declining fungal diversity in Arctic freshwaters along a permafrost thaw gradient. Global Change Biology 27 (22), 2021, 5889-5906 more…
  • Heeger, Felix; Bourne, Elizabeth C.; Wurzbacher, Christian; Funke, Elisabeth; Lipzen, Anna; He, Guifen; Ng, Vivian; Grigoriev, Igor V.; Schlosser, Dietmar; Monaghan, Michael T.: Evidence for Lignocellulose-Decomposing Enzymes in the Genome and Transcriptome of the Aquatic Hyphomycete Clavariopsis aquatica. Journal of Fungi 7 (10), 2021, 854 more…
  • Roßmann, K.; Großmann, G.; Frangoulidis, D.; Clasen, R.; Münch, M.; Hasenknopf, M.; Wurzbacher, C.; Tiehm, A.; Stange, C.; Ho, J.; Woermann, M.: Innovative SARS-CoV-2 crisis management in the public health sector: Corona dashboard and wastewater surveillance using the example of Berchtesgadener Land, Germany. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2021 more…
  • Roßmann, Katalyn; Großmann, Gerd; Frangoulidis, Dimitrios; Clasen, Rüttger; Münch, Manuel; Hasenknopf, Manfred; Wurzbacher, Christian; Tiehm, Andreas; Stange, Claudia; Ho, Johannes; Woermann, Marion; Drewes, Jörg E.: Innovatives SARS-CoV-2-Krisenmanagement im öffentlichen Gesundheitswesen: Corona-Dashboard und Abwasserfrühwarnsystem am Beispiel Berchtesgadener Land. Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz, 2021 more…
  • Liguori, Renato; Rommel, Steffen H; Bengtsson-Palme, Johan; Helmreich, Brigitte; Wurzbacher, Christian: Microbial retention and resistances in stormwater quality improvement devices treating road runoff. FEMS Microbes 2, 2021 more…
  • Rossmann, Katalyn; Clasen, Rüttger; Münch, Manuel; Wurzbacher, Christian; Tiehm, Andreas; Drewes, Jörg E.: SARS-CoV-2 Crisis Management With a Wastewater Early-Warning System in the Bavarian District of Berchtesgadener Land, Germany. Deutsches Ärzteblatt international, 2021 more…