Significant higher airborne antibiotic resistance genes and the associated inhalation risk in the indoor than the outdoor. - Related Documents




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717601.0000Significant higher airborne antibiotic resistance genes and the associated inhalation risk in the indoor than the outdoor. Inhalation of airborne antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can lead to antimicrobial resistance and potential health risk. In modern society, increasing individuals stay more indoors, however, studies regarding the exposure to airborne ARGs in indoor environments and the associated risks remain limited. Here, we compared the variance of aerosol-associated ARGs, bacterial microbiomes, and their daily intake (DI) burden in dormitory, office, and outdoor environments in a university in Tianjin. The results indicated that compared to outdoor aerosols, indoors exhibited significantly higher absolute abundance of both ARG subtypes and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) (1-7 orders of magnitude), 16S rRNA genes (2-3 orders), and total culturable bacteria (1-3 orders). Furthermore, we observed that significantly different airborne bacterial communities are the major drivers contributing to the variance of aerosol-associated ARGs in indoor and outdoor aerosols. Notably, the high abundances of total bacteria, potential pathogenic genera, and ARGs (particularly those harbored by pathogens) in indoor and outdoor aerosols, especially in indoors, may pose an increased exposure risk via inhalation. The successful isolation of human pathogens such as Elizabethkingia anopheles, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Delftia lacustris resistant to the "last-resort" antibiotics carbapenems and polymyxin B from indoor aerosols further indicated an increased exposure risk in indoors. Together, this study highlights the potential risks associated with ARGs and their inhalation to human health in indoor environments.202133120141
717510.9998Key Contribution and Risk of Airborne Antibiotic Resistance: Total Suspended Particles or Settled Dust? The atmosphere is an important environmental medium in spreading antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animal farming systems, yet the exposure risks associated with airborne pathways remain underexplored. This study employed metagenomic sequencing to investigate the airborne transmission of AMR in chicken farms (i.e., chicken feces, total suspended particles (TSP), and dust) and its exposure risks on the gut and nasal cavities of workers, office staff, and nearby villagers. Results revealed that TSP exhibited greater abundance, diversity, and transfer potential of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) compared to dust. The abundance of airborne resistome decreased with distance from the chicken house, and ARGs were estimated to spread up to 9.48 km within 1 h. While the gut resistome of workers and villagers showed limited differences, emerging tet(X) variants and high-risk dfrA remain future concerns. More nasal resistome was attributable to TSP compared to dust. Workers faced significantly higher inhalable exposures to antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and human pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria (HPARB), exceeding those of office staff and villagers by an order of magnitude. We also compiled lists of high-risk and potential-risk airborne ARGs to inform monitoring. These findings highlight the need for regular air disinfection in animal farms and better protective measures for workers.202540434009
717420.9998Metagenomic analysis deciphers airborne pathogens with enhanced antimicrobial resistance and virulence factors in composting facilities. The composting process has been shown to effectively reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animal manure, but its influence on surrounding airborne AMR remains unknown, particularly with regard to human-pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria (HPARB). In this study, air and paired compost samples were collected from a full-scale composting facility, and the antibiotic resistome, microbiome, and HPARB were systematically analyzed in both two habitats using metagenomic analysis. Current result uncovered the profiles of HPARB in air, showing that significantly more airborne HPARB were assembled than that in compost samples. Airborne pathogens harboredan increased abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) in comparison with compost-borne HPARB. The core antibiotic resistome represents 18.58% of overall ARG subtypes, contributing to 86.31% of ARG abundance. A higher number of enriched core ARGs (2.16- to 13.36-times higher), including mexF, tetW, and vanS, were observed in air samples compared to compost samples. As an important human pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was prevalent in the air and carried more ARG (6) and VFG (130) subtypes than those in compost. A significantly higher risk score was detected for airborne AMR in the composting facility compared to that in hospital and urban environments. This study revealed the enhanced airborne HPARB through comparative experiments between air and composting habitats. It highlighted the unrecognized AMR risks associated with air in composting site and provided a scientific basis for accurately assessing health outcomes caused by occupational exposure.202540472755
717230.9998Airborne bacterial community and antibiotic resistome in the swine farming environment: Metagenomic insights into livestock relevance, pathogen hosts and public risks. Globally extensive use of antibiotics has accelerated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment. As one of the biggest antibiotic consumers, livestock farms are hotspots in AMR prevalence, especially those in the atmosphere can transmit over long distances and pose inhalation risks to the public. Here, we collected total suspended particulates in swine farms and ambient air of an intensive swine farming area. Bacterial communities and antibiotic resistomes were analyzed using amplicon and metagenomic sequencing approaches. AMR risks and inhalation exposure to potential human-pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria (HPARB) were subsequently estimated with comparison to the reported hospital samples. The results show that swine farms shaped the airborne bacterial community by increasing abundances, reducing diversities and shifting compositions. Swine feces contributed 77% of bacteria to swine farm air, and about 35% to ambient air. Airborne antibiotic resistomes in swine farms mainly conferred resistance to tetracyclines, aminoglycosides and lincosamides, and over 48% were originated from swine feces. Distinct to the hospital air, Firmicutes were dominant bacteria in swine farming environments with conditional pathogens including Clostridium, Streptococcus and Aerococcus being major hosts of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Therein, genomes of S. alactolyticus carrying (transposase/recombinase-associated) ARGs and virulence factor genes were retrieved from the metagenomes of all swine feces and swine farm air samples, but they were not detected in any hospital air samples. This suggests the indication of S. alactolyticus in swine farming environments with potential hazards to human health. Swine farm air faced higher AMR risks than hospital air and swine feces. The inhalation intake of HPARB by a swine farm worker was about three orders of magnitude higher than a person who works in the hospital. Consequently, this study depicted atmospheric transmission of bacteria and antibiotic resistomes from swine feces to the environment.202336680804
717340.9998Animal farms are hot spots for airborne antimicrobial resistance. Animal farms are known reservoirs for environmental antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, knowledge of AMR burden in the air around animal farms remains disproportionately limited. In this study, we characterized the airborne AMR based on the quantitative information of 30 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), four mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and four human pathogenic bacteria (HPBs) involving four animal species from 20 farms. By comparing these genes with those in animal feces, the distinguishing features of airborne AMR were revealed, which included high enrichment of ARGs and their potential mobility to host HPBs. We found that depending on the antimicrobial class, the mean concentration of airborne ARGs in the animal farms ranged from 10(2) to 10(4) copies/m(3) and was accompanied by a considerable intensity of MGEs and HPBs (approximately 10(3) copies/m(3)). Although significant correlations were observed between the ARGs and bacterial communities of air and fecal samples, the abundance of target genes was generally high in fine inhalable particles (PM2.5), with an enrichment ratio of up to 10(2) in swine and cattle farms. The potential transferability of airborne ARGs was universally strengthened, embodied by a pronounced co-occurrence of ARGs-MGEs in air compared with that in feces. Exposure analysis showed that animal farmworkers may inhale approximately 10(4) copies of human pathogenic bacteria-associated genera per day potentially carrying highly transferable ARGs, including multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, PM2.5 inhalation posed higher human daily intake burdens of some ARGs than those associated with drinking water intake. Overall, our findings highlight the severity of animal-related airborne AMR and the subsequent inhalation exposure, thus improving our understanding of the airborne flow of AMR genes from animals to humans. These findings could help develop strategies to mitigate the human exposure and dissemination of ARGs across different media.202235985594
717150.9998Household waste-specific ambient air shows greater inhalable antimicrobial resistance risks in densely populated communities. Household waste is a hotspot of antibiotic resistance, which can be readily emitted to the ambient airborne inhalable particulate matters (PM(10)) during the day-long storage in communities. Nevertheless, whether these waste-specific inhalable antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are associated with pathogenic bacteria or pose hazards to local residents have yet to be explored. By high-throughput metagenomic sequencing and culture-based antibiotic resistance validation, we analyzed 108 airborne PM(10) and nearby environmental samples collected across different types of residential communities in Shanghai, the most populous city in China. Compared to the cold-dry period, the warm-humid season had significantly larger PM(10)-associated antibiotic resistomes in all types of residential communities (T-test, P < 0.001), most of airborne ARGs in which were estimatedly originated from disposed household waste (∼ 30 %). In addition, the airborne bacteria were assembled in a deterministic approach (iCAMP, P < 0.01), where the waste-specific bacteria taxa including Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, and Kocuria had the predominant niches in the airborne microbial assemblages. Notably, these waste-sourced bacteria were also identified as the primary airborne hosts of ARGs encoding the aminoglycoside resistances. Among them, some antibiotic resistant human pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, not only exhibited higher ARG horizontal gene transfer (HGT) potential across the microbial assemblages, but also imposed direct infection risks on the local residents by 2 min inhalation exposure per day. When the daily exposure duration increased to 11 min, the infection-induced illness burden became unignorably high, especially in densely populated urban communities, being twofold greater than rural areas.202539862584
321860.9998Airborne bacterial communities in the poultry farm and their relevance with environmental factors and antibiotic resistance genes. The accelerating occurrence and environmental dissemination of bacteria, gas pollutants and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aerosols of poultry farms have become emerging environmental issues due to their potential threat to animals, workers, and the communities located near such farms. Here, aerosol samples were gathered from inside and outside of the chicken house in winter with a transportable high-flow bioaerosol sampler. Then, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to categorize the bacteria in air samples, and the abundance of 12 ARG subtypes was researched via the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results indicated that the bacterial richness and diversity and total absolute abundance of ARGs were similar in the bioaerosols from indoor and downwind site of the poultry farm. The zoonotic pathogens, Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium, were detected both inside and outside of the chicken house, and the four most abundant target genes were bla(TEM), tetQ, ermB and sul1 in aerosols. Moreover, the correlation between the bacterial communities and environmental factors, such as NH(3) and H(2)S concentrations, wind speed, temperature and relative humidity, was analyzed. The result revealed that the indoor bacteria community was positively associated with temperature and concentrations of air pollutants (NH(3) and H(2)S), and could spread from confinement buildings to the ambient atmosphere through wind. In addition, the network analysis result showed that the airborne bacteria might significantly contribute in shaping the ARGs' profiles in bioaerosol from inside and outside of the poultry house. Overall, our results revealed the airborne bacterial communities and their associated influencing factors in the micro-environment (inside of the chicken house and nearby the boundary of the farm), and brought a new perspective for studying the gas pollutants and bioaerosol from poultry farms in winter.202235850323
683970.9997Bioaerosol is an important transmission route of antibiotic resistance genes in pig farms. Although pig farms are hotspots of antibiotic resistance due to intensive use of antibiotics, little is known about the abundance, diversity and transmission of airborne antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study reports that bioaerosol is an important spread route of ARGs in pig farms. ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and bacterial communities were investigated in both air and feces samples during winter and summer. The average concentration of airborne ARGs and MGEs during winter is higher than that during summer when using the ventilation system. The tetM is identified as the predominant airborne ARG with abundance of 6.3 ± 1.2 log copies/m(3). Clostridium and Streptococcus are two dominant bacteria and several opportunistic pathogens are detected in air samples. High temperature is favorable for more diverse bacterial communities, but relative humidity has negative effects. The wind speed promotes the spread of airborne ARGs. The network analysis results show the average fecal contribution to airborne bacteria is 19.9% and 59.4% during summer and winter, respectively. Horizontal gene transfer plays an important role in the dissemination of airborne ARGs during winter (77.8% possibility), while a lower possibility of 12.0% in summer.202133864959
683780.9997Coexistence of antibiotic resistance genes, fecal bacteria, and potential pathogens in anthropogenically impacted water. Microbial indicators are often used to monitor microbial safety of aquatic environments. However, information regarding the correlation between microbial indicators and ecotoxicological factors such as potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in anthropogenically impacted waters remains highly limited. Here, we investigated the bacterial community composition, potential pathogens, ARGs diversity, ARG hosts, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) potential in urban river and wastewater samples from Chaohu Lake Basin using 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing. The composition of the microbial community and potential pathogens differed significantly in wastewater and river water samples, and the total relative abundance of fecal indicator bacteria was positively correlated with the total relative abundance of potential pathogens (p < 0.001 and Pearson's r = 0.758). Network analysis indicated that partial ARG subtypes such as dfrE, sul2, and PmrE were significantly correlated with indicator bacteria (p < 0.05 and Pearson's r > 0.6). Notably, Klebsiella was the indicator bacteria significantly correlated with 4 potential pathogens and 14 ARG subtypes. ARGs coexisting with mobile gene elements were mainly found in Thauera, Pseudomonas, Escherichia, and Acinetobacter. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can be used to conduct preliminary surveys of environmental samples to access potential health risks, thereby facilitating water resources management.202235175529
685090.9997Fate of high-risk antibiotic resistance genes in large-scale aquaculture sediments: Geographical differentiation and corresponding drivers. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), emerging environmental contaminants, have become challenges of public health security. However, the distribution and drivers of ARGs, especially high-risk ARGs, in large-scale aquaculture sediments remain unknown. Here, we collected sediment samples from 40 crayfish ponds in seven main crayfish culture provinces in China and then investigated the distribution and risk of ARGs based on high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR techniques. Our results suggested that aquaculture sediment was potential reservoir of ARGs and the abundance of aadA-02 was the highest. High-risk ARG (floR) was also prevalent in the sediment and was the most abundant in Jiangsu Province, where opportunistic pathogens were also enriched. The abundance of floR was positively correlated with different environmental factors, such as total phosphorus in water and total carbon in sediment. In addition, Mycobacterium sp., opportunistic pathogenic bacteria, might be potential host for floR. Furthermore, the potential propagation pathway of ARGs was from sediment to crayfish gut, and Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria might be the main bacterial groups responsible for the proliferation of ARGs. Generally, our results illustrate that pond sediment may be an ARG reservoir of aquatic animals. Meanwhile, our study helps develop valuable strategies for accessing risks and managing ARGs.202337714353
6838100.9997Seasonal variation characteristics of inhalable bacteria in bioaerosols and antibiotic resistance genes in Harbin. Bioaerosols have received extensive attention due to their impact on climate, ecological environment, and human health. This study aimed to reveal the driving factors that structure bacterial community composition and the transmission route of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in PM(2.5). The results showed that the bacterial concentration in spring (8.76 × 10(5) copies/m(3)) was significantly higher than that in summer (1.03 × 10(5) copies/m(3)) and winter (4.74 × 10(4) copies/m(3)). Low temperatures and air pollution in winter negatively affected bacterial concentrations. Keystone taxa were identified by network analysis. Although about 50 % of the keystone taxa had low relative abundances, the strong impact of complex interactions between keystone taxa and other taxa on bacterial community structure deserved attention. The bacterial community assembly was dominated by stochastic processes (79.3 %). Interactions between bacteria and environmental filtering together affected bacterial community composition. Vertical gene transfer played an important role in the transmission of airborne ARGs. Given the potential integration and expression of ARGs in recipients, the human exposure risk due to high concentrations of ARGs and mobile genetic elements cannot be ignored. This study highlights human exposure to inhalable bacterial pathogens and ARGs in urban areas.202336584645
6848110.9997Swine farming elevated the proliferation of Acinetobacter with the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in the groundwater. Swine farming generates a large amount of wastes containing various contaminants, resulting in environmental contamination and human health problems. Here we investigated the contamination profiles of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) as well as microbial community in groundwater of the two villages with or without swine farms, and then assessed the human exposure risks of antibiotics, ARGs and indicator bacteria through drinking groundwater. The results showed that swine farming could lead to enhanced concentration levels of various veterinary antibiotics and ARGs in the groundwater in comparison to the reference village without swine farming. The microbial diversity of groundwater was significantly decreased with predominance of conditional pathogens Acinetobacter (up to 90%) in some wells of the swine farming village. Meanwhile, the abundance of Acinetobacter was significantly correlated to bacterial abundance, ARGs and integrons. The local residents could ingest various antibiotic residues and ARGs as well as pathogens, with daily intake of Acinetobacter up to approximately 10 billion CFU/resident through drinking groundwater contaminated by swine farming. The findings from this study suggest potential health risks of changing gut microbial community and resistome by drinking contaminated groundwater.202031999967
7048120.9997Airborne antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, and bacterial pathogens in a commercial composting facility: Transmission and exposure risk. Multiple elements associated with antimicrobial resistance in compost may escape into the air during the composting process, including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), human pathogenic bacteria (HPBs), and even antibiotics. Although antibiotics play a critical role in the evolution of resistance in HPBs, no information is available on airborne antibiotics in composting facilities. In this study, we systematically quantified airborne antibiotics, ARGs, and HPBs in comparison with those in compost. The burden of antibiotics in the air reached 4.17 ± 2.71 × 10(2) ng/g, significantly higher than that in compost. The concentration of ARGs (10(2) copies/g) in air also increased compared with that in compost. Concentrations of target contaminants in air were affected by temperature, organic matter, and heavy metals. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed the connectivity and complexity of antibiotics, ARGs, and HPBs were greater in air than in compost. The maximum daily antibiotic intake dose was up to 1.18 × 10(-1)ng/d/kg, accompanied by considerable inhalation levels of ARGs and HPBs. Our results reveal the severity of airborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) elements in composting facilities, highlight the non-negligible amount of antibiotics and their co-existence with ARGs and HPBs, and shed light on the potential role of airborne antibiotics in the evolution of environmental AMR.202439442303
6804130.9997Seasonal variations of profiles of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factor genes in household dust from Beijing, China revealed by the metagenomics. Household-related microbiome is closely related with human health. However, the knowledge about profiles of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) which are carried by microbes inside homes and their temporal dynamics are rather limited. Here we monitored the seasonal changes of bacterial community (especially pathogenic bacteria), ARGs, and VFGs in household dust samples during two years. Based on metagenomic sequencing, the dust-related bacterial pathogenic community, ARGs, and VFGs all harbored the lowest richness in spring among four seasons. Their structure (except that of VFGs) also exhibited remarkable differences among the seasons. The structural variations of ARGs and VFGs were almost explained by mobile genetic elements (MGEs), bacterial pathogens, and particulate matter-related factors, with MGEs explaining the most. Moreover, the total normalized abundance of ARGs or VFGs showed no significant change across the seasons. Results of metagenomic binning and microbial network both showed that several pathogenic taxa (e.g., Ralstonia pickettii) were strongly linked with numerous ARGs (mainly resistant to multidrug) and VFGs (mainly encoding motility) simultaneously. Overall, these findings underline the significance of MGEs in structuring ARGs and VFGs inside homes along with seasonal variations, suggesting that household dust is a neglected reservoir for ARGs and VFGs.202438636860
3205140.9997Determinants for antimicrobial resistance genes in farm dust on 333 poultry and pig farms in nine European countries. Livestock feces with antimicrobial resistant bacteria reaches the farm floor, manure pit, farm land and wider environment by run off and aerosolization. Little research has been done on the role of dust in the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in farms. Concentrations and potential determinants of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in farm dust are at present not known. Therefore in this study absolute ARG levels, representing the levels people and animals might be exposed to, and relative abundances of ARGs, representing the levels in the bacterial population, were quantified in airborne farm dust using qPCR. Four ARGs were determined in 947 freshly settled farm dust samples, captured with electrostatic dustfall collectors (EDCs), from 174 poultry (broiler) and 159 pig farms across nine European countries. By using linear mixed modeling, associations with fecal ARG levels, antimicrobial use (AMU) and farm and animal related parameters were determined. Results show similar relative abundances in farm dust as in feces and a significant positive association (ranging between 0.21 and 0.82) between the two reservoirs. AMU in pigs was positively associated with ARG abundances in dust from the same stable. Higher biosecurity standards were associated with lower relative ARG abundances in poultry and higher relative ARG abundances in pigs. Lower absolute ARG levels in dust were driven by, among others, summer season and certain bedding materials for poultry, and lower animal density and summer season for pigs. This study indicates different pathways that contribute to shaping the dust resistome in livestock farms, related to dust generation, or affecting the bacterial microbiome. Farm dust is a large reservoir of ARGs from which transmission to bacteria in other reservoirs can possibly occur. The identified determinants of ARG abundances in farm dust can guide future research and potentially farm management policy.202235033551
7047150.9997Characteristics of airborne bacterial communities and antibiotic resistance genes under different air quality levels. Pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in bioaerosols are major threats to human health. In this study, the microbial community structure and ARG distribution characteristics of airborne bacteria in total suspended particulates (TSP) and PM(2.5) were investigated under different air quality levels in Xinxiang, Central China. The results revealed that with the deterioration of air quality, the concentrations of airborne bacteria in both TSP and PM(2.5) decreased; however, the relative amounts of pathogenic bacteria increased. The predominant genera in pathogenic bacteria of Bacillus, Sphingomonas, Corynebacterium, Rhodococcus, and Staphylococcus were identified in both TSP and PM(2.5). Although the airborne bacteria concentrations and absolute abundances of ARGs in TSP were higher than those in PM(2.5) under identical air quality conditions, the bacterial community structure and relative amounts of pathogenic bacteria were similar. In addition, the relationship between environmental factors of ions, metal elements, and meteorological parameters and the community structures of airborne bacteria and pathogenic bacteria were also analyzed. The effects of soluble ions and metal elements on several dominant genera of total bacteria and pathogenic bacteria differed, probably due to the strong tolerance of pathogenic bacteria to harsh atmospheric environments Different subtypes of ARGs showed various distribution characteristics with variations in air quality. The deterioration of air quality can inhibit the dissemination of ARGs, as the minimum values of all ARGs and class 1 integrase intI1 were observed under Severely Polluted conditions. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the effect of air pollution levels on the airborne bacteria community composition and ARG distribution.202235180669
7151160.9997Pollution profiles of antibiotic resistance genes associated with airborne opportunistic pathogens from typical area, Pearl River Estuary and their exposure risk to human. To reveal the selective pressures of near-shore human activities on marine and continental bioaerosols, the pollution profile and potential exposure risk of airborne pathogens and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in Pearl River Estuaries (113.52 (o)E, 22.69 (o)N), a transitional zone between marine and continental environments, were fully explored. The results showed that the total bacteria among bioaerosols varied largely with average pollution levels of 1.86 × 10(5) and 4.35 × 10(4) cfu m(-3) in spring and summer, respectively, and were high than those of airborne fungi. The predominant aerodynamic diameters of bioaerosols were in respirable size range (<4.7 µm), and the microbes communities' diversity and abundance varied significantly. Besides, many opportunistic pathogenic bacteria (Burkholderia-Paraburkholderia, Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter) and fungi (Alternaria, Penicillium and Cladosporium) were dominant in bioaerosol samples. Of 21 ARGs subtypes detected, the tetracycline resistance gene tetA was the most abundant, followed by aminoglycoside resistance gene and mobile genetic elements. Correlation analysis revealed that the changes of pathogens community contributed significantly to the prevalence of ARGs in bioaerosol. Based on the average daily dose rates of microorganisms and human direct intake of ARGs, health risk of bioaerosols from the Pearl River Estuaries were also evaluated. In summary, the presence of opportunistic pathogens and diversity of ARGs strengthens the call to consider the bioaerosol in air quality monitoring and risk assessment in the future.202032645489
6825170.9997Bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) in PM(2.5) from China: Implications for Human Exposure. Airborne transmission is one of the environmental dissemination pathways of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and has critical implications for human exposure through inhalation. In this study, we focused on three regions of China to reveal some unique spatiotemporal features of airborne bacteria and ARGs in fine aerosols (PM(2.5)): (1) greater seasonal variations in the abundance of bacteria and ARGs in temperate urban Beijing than in the subtropical urban areas of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and Pearl River Delta (PRD) regions, with regional disparities in bacterial communities; (2) geographical fingerprints of ARG profiles independent of seasonal cycles and land-use gradients within each region; (3) region-independent associations between the targeted ARGs and limited bacterial genera; (4) common correlations between ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) across regions; and (5) PM(2.5) at the higher end of ARG enrichment across various environmental and human media. The spatiotemporally differentiated bacterial communities and ARG abundances, and the compositions, mobility, and potential hosts of ARGs in the atmosphere have strong implications for human inhalational exposure over spatiotemporal scales. By comparing other contributing pathways for the intake of ARGs (e.g., drinking water and food ingestion) in China and the U.S.A., we identified the region-specific importance of inhalation in China as well as country-specific exposure scenarios. Our study thus highlights the significance of inhalation as an integral part of the aggregate exposure pathways of environmentally disseminated ARGs, which, in turn, may help in the formulation of adaptive strategies to mitigate the exposure risks in China and beyond.201930525504
3176180.9997Comprehensive profiling and risk assessment of antibiotic resistance genes in a drinking water watershed by integrated analysis of air-water-soil. The prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in diverse habitats threatens public health. Watersheds represent critical freshwater ecosystems that interact with both the soil and atmosphere. However, a holistic understanding of ARGs distribution across these environmental media is currently inadequate. We profiled ARGs and bacterial communities in air-water-soil in the same watershed area during four seasons using high-throughput qPCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our findings demonstrated that aminoglycoside resistance genes (58.5%) were dominant in water, and multidrug resistance genes (55.2% and 54.2%) were dominant in soil and air. Five ARGs and nineteen bacterial genera were consistently detected in all samples, were named as shared genes or bacteria. Co-occurrence Network analysis revealed the co-occurrence module of resistance genes, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and potential bacterial hosts, indicating that shared genes and bacteria may persist and co-spread across different environmental media. The risk assessment framework, based on ARGs' abundance, detection rate, and mobility, identified 33 high-risk ARGs. This is essential to evaluate the health risks of ARGs and to develop strategies to limit the threat of antibiotic resistance. Our study offers new insights into the risks associated with ARGs in the environment and suggests that ARGs may depend on specific bacterial cohabitants that co-exist with MGEs to facilitate their spread across environmental interfaces.202337742410
3217190.9997Distribution and environmental dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in poultry farms and surrounding ecosystems. Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to human and animal health worldwide, with farms serving as crucial reservoirs of Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) and Antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, the distribution of ARGs in poultry farms and their transmission patterns in the environment remain poorly understood. This study collected samples of aerosol microorganisms, cloacal matter, soil, and vegetables from poultry farms and surrounding environments at three different distances. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing and HT-qPCR to analyze the characteristics of aerosol microbial communities and the abundance of ARGs. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were dominant in cloacal samples, aerosol samples, and vegetable samples, while Proteobacteria Actinobacteriota and Acidobacteria dominated soil. Pseudomonas was dominant in cloacal samples at the genus level, whereas Fusobacterium was prevalent in soil. The diversity and richness of bacterial communities were more similar between cloacal samples than those observed between either sample type compared with soil. Our results showed that tetracycline and aminoglycoside ARG relative abundance was high across all sample types but significantly increased within feces/air compared to soils/vegetables. Association analysis revealed five potential host genera for ARG/MGE presence among various microbiota populations studied here. Our findings confirm that farms are important sources for the environmental dissemination of pathogens and ARGs.202539689477