# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 7228 | 0 | 1.0000 | Proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes in coastal recirculating mariculture system. The abuse of antibiotics has caused the propagation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquaculture systems. Although the recirculating systems have been considered as a promising approach for preventing the coastal water pollution of antibiotics and ARG, rare information is available on the distribution and proliferation of ARGs in the recirculating mariculture system. This study firstly investigated the proliferation of ARGs in coastal recirculating mariculture systems. Ten subtypes of ARGs including tet (tetB, tetG, tetX), sul (sul1, sul2), qnr (qnrA, qnrB, qnrS), and erm (ermF, ermT) were detected. The absolute abundances of the ARGs detected in the mariculture farm were more than 1 × 10(4) copies/mL. The sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1 and sul2) were the most abundant ARGs with the abundance of 3.5 × 10(7)-6.5 × 10(10) copies/mL. No obvious correlation existed between the antibiotics and ARGs. Some bacteria were positively correlated with two or more ARGs to indicate the occurrence of multidrug resistance. The fluidized-bed biofilter for wastewater treatment in the recirculating system was the main breeding ground for ARGs while the UV sterilization process could reduce the ARGs. The highest flux of ARGs (6.5 × 10(21) copies/d) indicated that the discharge of feces and residual baits was the main gateway for ARGs in the recirculating mariculture system to enter the environments. | 2019 | 30826609 |
| 7231 | 1 | 0.9999 | Metagenomic insights into chlorination effects on microbial antibiotic resistance in drinking water. This study aimed to investigate the chlorination effects on microbial antibiotic resistance in a drinking water treatment plant. Biochemical identification, 16S rRNA gene cloning and metagenomic analysis consistently indicated that Proteobacteria were the main antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) dominating in the drinking water and chlorine disinfection greatly affected microbial community structure. After chlorination, higher proportion of the surviving bacteria was resistant to chloramphenicol, trimethoprim and cephalothin. Quantitative real-time PCRs revealed that sulI had the highest abundance among the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) detected in the drinking water, followed by tetA and tetG. Chlorination caused enrichment of ampC, aphA2, bla(TEM-1), tetA, tetG, ermA and ermB, but sulI was considerably removed (p < 0.05). Metagenomic analysis confirmed that drinking water chlorination could concentrate various ARGs, as well as of plasmids, insertion sequences and integrons involved in horizontal transfer of the ARGs. Water pipeline transportation tended to reduce the abundance of most ARGs, but various ARB and ARGs were still present in the tap water, which deserves more public health concerns. The results highlighted prevalence of ARB and ARGs in chlorinated drinking water and this study might be technologically useful for detecting the ARGs in water environments. | 2013 | 23084468 |
| 7179 | 2 | 0.9998 | Prevalence and proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes in two municipal wastewater treatment plants. The propagation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is an emerging health concern worldwide. Thus, it is important to understand and mitigate their occurrence in different systems. In this study, 30 ARGs that confer resistance to tetracyclines, sulfonamides, quinolones or macrolides were detected in two activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in northern China. Bacteria harboring ARGs persisted through all treatment units, and survived disinfection by chlorination in greater percentages than total Bacteria (assessed by 16S rRNA genes). Although the absolute abundances of ARGs were reduced from the raw influent to the effluent by 89.0%-99.8%, considerable ARG levels [(1.0 ± 0.2) × 10(3) to (9.5 ± 1.8) × 10(5) copies/mL)] were found in WWTP effluent samples. ARGs were concentrated in the waste sludge (through settling of bacteria and sludge dewatering) at (1.5 ± 2.3) × 10(9) to (2.2 ± 2.8) × 10(11) copies/g dry weight. Twelve ARGs (tetA, tetB, tetE, tetG, tetH, tetS, tetT, tetX, sul1, sul2, qnrB, ermC) were discharged through the dewatered sludge and plant effluent at higher rates than influent values, indicating overall proliferation of resistant bacteria. Significant antibiotic concentrations (2%-50% of raw influent concentrations) remained throughout all treatment units. This apparently contributed selective pressure for ARG replication since the relative abundance of resistant bacteria (assessed by ARG/16S rRNA gene ratios) was significantly correlated to the corresponding effluent antibiotic concentrations. Similarly, the concentrations of various heavy metals (which induce a similar bacterial resistance mechanism as antibiotics - efflux pumps) were also correlated to the enrichment of some ARGs. Thus, curtailing the release of antibiotics and heavy metals to sewage systems (or enhancing their removal in pre-treatment units) may alleviate their selective pressure and mitigate ARG proliferation in WWTPs. | 2015 | 26372743 |
| 7230 | 3 | 0.9998 | Persistence of antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial community changes in drinking water treatment system: From drinking water source to tap water. As emerging contaminants, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have become a public concern. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and diversity of ARGs, and variation in the composition of bacterial communities in source water, drinking water treatment plants, and tap water in the Pearl River Delta region, South China. Various ARGs were present in the different types of water. Among the 27 target ARGs, floR and sul1 dominated in source water from three large rivers in the region. Pearson correlation analysis suggested that sul1, sul2, floR, and cmlA could be potential indicators for ARGs in water samples. The total abundance of the detected ARGs in tap water was much lower than that in source water. Sand filtration and sedimentation in drinking water treatment plants could effectively remove ARGs; in contrast, granular activated carbon filtration increased the abundance of ARGs. It was found that Pseudomonas may be involved in the proliferation and dissemination of ARGs in the studied drinking water treatment system. Bacteria and ARGs were still present in tap water after treatment, though they were significantly reduced. More research is needed to optimize the water treatment process for ARG removal. | 2018 | 29127799 |
| 7233 | 4 | 0.9998 | Distribution, sources, and potential risks of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment plant: A review. Irrational use of antibiotics produces a large number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) act as important sources and sinks of ARGs, and play an important role in their generation, treatment, and dissemination. This study summarizes the types, concentrations, and factors of ARGs in WWTPs, investigates the sources of ARGs in wastewater, compares the removal efficiencies of different treatment processes on ARGs, and analyzes the potential risks of ARGs accumulation in effluent, sludge and their emission into the air. The results show that the main ARGs detected in the influent of WWTPs are the genes resistant to macrolides (ermB, ermF), tetracyclines (tetW, tetA, tetC), sulfonamides (sul1, sul2), and β-lactams (bla(OXA), bla(TEM)). The concentrations of ARGs in the influent of the WWTPs are 2.23 × 10(2)-3.90 × 10(9) copies/mL. Wastewater quality and microbial community are the dominant factors that affect the distribution characteristics of ARGs. The accumulation of ARGs in effluent, sludge, and aerosols pose potential risks to the regional ecological environment and human health. Based on these results, research trends with respect to ARGs in WWTPs are also prospected. | 2022 | 35921944 |
| 7232 | 5 | 0.9998 | Occurrence and prevalence of antibiotic resistance in landfill leachate. Antibiotic resistance (AR) is extensively present in various environments, posing emerging threat to public and environmental health. Landfill receives unused and unwanted antibiotics through household waste and AR within waste (e.g., activated sludge and illegal clinical waste) and is supposed to serve as an important AR reservoir. In this study, we used culture-dependent methods and quantitative molecular techniques to detect and quantify antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in 12 landfill leachate samples from six geographic different landfills, China. Five tested ARGs (tetO, tetW, bla(TEM), sulI, and sulII) and seven kinds of antibiotic-resistant heterotrophic ARB were extensively detected in all samples, demonstrating their occurrence in landfill. The detected high ratio (10(-2) to 10(-5)) of ARGs to 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene copies implied that ARGs are prevalent in landfill. Correlation analysis showed that ARGs (tetO, tetW, sulI, and sulII) significantly correlated to ambient bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies, suggesting that the abundance of bacteria in landfill leachate may play an important role in the horizontal spread of ARGs. | 2015 | 25903180 |
| 7238 | 6 | 0.9998 | Prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in different drinking water treatment processes in a northwest Chinese city. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are an emerging issue which are receiving increasing concerns in drinking water safety. However, the factors (e.g. treatment processes and water quality) affecting the removal efficiency of ARGs in the drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) is still unclear. This work investigated the ARG profiles in each treatment process of two DWTPs located in a northwest Chinese city. The results showed that tetracycline and sulfonamide resistance genes were predominant among the 14 targeted ARGs. After the treatment, the Z water treatment plant which demonstrated a higher removal rate of ARGs (ranging from 50 to 80%), compared to the S plant (50-75%). And the average removal rate of tetracycline resistance genes (tetA, tetG, tetQ, tetX) was about 49.18% (S plant) and 67.50% (Z plant), as well as the removal rate of 64.2% and 72.9% for sulfonamide resistance (sul1 and sul2) at S and Z water plants, respectively. It was found that the relative abundance of main microbial communities (such as Bacteroidota, Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobiota, Roseomonas), α-diversity index, as well as the abundance of pathogenic bacteria were all significantly reduced after different treatment processes. Network co-occurrence analysis revealed that Methylocystis possibly was the potential host for most ARGs, and sul1 was found across a broad spectrum of microorganisms in the drinking water environment. Adonis analysis showed that heavy metals and microbial communities explain solely 44.1% and 35.7% of variances of ARGs within DWTPs. This study provides insights into the contamination status and removal efficiencies of ARGs in DWTPs, offering valuable references for future studies on ARG removal, propagation, and diffusion patterns in drinking water treatment. | 2024 | 39316241 |
| 7156 | 7 | 0.9998 | Effect of antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes on the fate of ARGs in marine sediments. Surface runoff is a prevalent source via which emerging pollutants (i.e., antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs)) enter marine sediments. However, few studies have investigated the effect of emerging pollutants on the fate of ARGs in marine sediments. Therefore, three systems were established to measure the relative abundances of four common ARGs (i.e., bla(TEM), tetA, tetC, and aphA) and the integron-integrase gene (intI1) after exposure to emerging pollutants in marine sediments from the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea in China. The results revealed that antibiotic exposure could decrease the relative abundance of most ARGs (including bla(TEM), tetA, and tetC) in these marine sediment samples. The exceptions were the relative abundance of bla(TEM) in the Bohai Sea marine sediments under ampicillin exposure and tetC in the Yellow Sea marine sediments under tetracycline exposure, which increased significantly. Among marine sediments challenged with ARB, the relative abundance of aphA in all four marine sediments displayed a decreasing trend, whereas the abundances of bla(TEM) and tetA in the marine sediments from the Bohai Sea and the South China Sea showed an increasing trend. The relative abundance of tetA in the marine sediments from the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea dropped markedly when exposed to extracellular ARG (eARG). Significant changes in bla(TEM) abundance were observed in the four marine sediments under eARG exposure. Gene aphA abundance showed the same trend as the intI1 abundance. IntI1 showed a decreasing trend under the exposure of antibiotic, ARB, or eARG, apart from the East and the South China Sea marine sediments under ampicillin conditions and the South China Sea marine sediments under RP4 plasmid condition. These findings suggest that dosing with emerging pollutants does not increase ARG abundance in marine sediments. | 2023 | 37245825 |
| 7227 | 8 | 0.9998 | High-risk antibiotics positively correlated with antibiotic resistance genes in five typical urban wastewater. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic amount increased within close proximity to human dominated ecosystems. However, few studies assessed the distribution of antibiotics and ARGs in multiple ecosystems especially the different urban wastewater. In this study, the spatial distribution of ARGs and antibiotics across the urban wastewater included domestic, livestock, hospital, pharmaceutical wastewater, influent of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Northeast China. The q-PCR results showed that ARGs were most abundant in community wastewater and followed by WWTP influent, livestock wastewater, pharmaceutical wastewater and hospital wastewater. The ARG composition differed among the five ecotypes with qnrS was the dominant ARG subtypes in WWTP influent and community wastewater, while sul2 dominant in livestock, hospital, pharmaceutical wastewater. The concentration of antibiotics was closely related to the antibiotic usage and consumption data. In addition to the high concentration of azithromycin at all sampling points, more than half of the antibiotics in livestock wastewater were veterinary antibiotics. However, antibiotics that closely related to humankind such as roxithromycin and sulfamethoxazole accounted for a higher proportion in hospital wastewater (13.6%) and domestic sewage (33.6%), respectively. The ambiguous correlation between ARGs and their corresponding antibiotics was detected. However, antibiotics that exhibited high ecotoxic effects were closely and positively correlated with ARGs and the class 1 integrons (intI1), which indicated that high ecotoxic compounds might affect antimicrobial resistance of bacteria by mediating horizontal gene transfer of ARGs. The coupling mechanism between the ecological risk of antibiotics and bacterial resistance needed to be further studied, and thereby provided a new insight to study the impact of environmental pollutants on ARGs in various ecotypes. | 2023 | 37267763 |
| 6854 | 9 | 0.9998 | Characteristics and driving factors of antibiotic resistance genes in aquaculture products from freshwater ponds in China Yangtze River Delta. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are widespread in aquaculture and pose a huge threat to aquaculture organisms and human health. In this study, occurrences and relative abundances of ARGs were analysed in the guts of products cultured in freshwater ponds in the Yangtze River Delta region in China. A total of 29 ARGs were found in the gut samples, with detection frequencies ranging from 4.8% to 81%, and the relative abundances (ARGs/16S rRNA) ranging from 10(-7) to 1. In addition, the human dietary intake of ARGs via aquaculture products was assessed, where the daily intake of most ARGs via aquaculture products was higher than those via PM2.5 and drinking water, but lower than that via vegetables. The relative abundances of MGE (IS613, Tp614, tnpA and int1) were significantly correlated with those of multiple ARGs, indicating the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs among gut microorganisms. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were the dominated microbial communities found in the guts of aquaculture products. In addition, significant correlations were found between Cyanobacteria and int1, between Nitrospira and tetE, and between sul2 and aadA2, indicating potential same hosts of these genes. In addition, results from co-correlation indicated both HGT (dominated by MGEs) of ARGs and the enrichment of ARGs in bacteria. MGEs, mostly int1, were more effective than bacteria in increasing the ARG abundance. This study could provide a better understanding of the transmission of ARGs in the aquaculture environment and improve the quality of aquaculture products and the ecology. | 2024 | 36756971 |
| 7146 | 10 | 0.9998 | Fate of antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria in a coupled water-processing system with wastewater treatment plants and constructed wetlands in coastal eco-industrial parks. In coastal eco-industrial zones, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and constructed wetlands (CWs) can alleviate the challenge of water shortage and the negative effect of sewage discharge, while the problems of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have not attracted enough attention. In this research, the Wafergen SmartChip system was adopted to investigate the ARG profiles in a coupled system combined WWTPs and CWs in a coastal industrial park. Potential risks of antibiotic resistance in chemical industrial wastewater were confirmed due to the higher abundance of target ARGs (> 10(7) copies/mL). General decline with partial enrichment in absolute and relative abundance of ARGs from the WWTPs to CWs revealed the effective removal of ARGs in the coupled system, while the fate of different ARG types varied greatly. Aminoglycoside and sulfonamide ARGs were detected with higher abundance (up to 5.34 ×10(7) and 3.61 ×10(7) copies/mL), especially aac(6')-Ib and sul1. Denitrification, secondary sedimentation, and acid hydrolysis contributed to the removal of aminoglycoside, sulfonamide, β-lactamase, chloramphenicol, and multidrug ARGs. Catalytic ozonation contributed to the removal of tetracycline and MLSB ARGs. Subsurface CWs worked effectively for the removal of sulfonamide, tetracycline, and multidrug ARGs, especially tetX, cphA, tetG, and strB. Close correlations between ARGs and MGEs emphasized the vital roles of anthropogenic pollutants and horizontal gene transfer on the diffusion of ARGs. Actinobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Cyanobacteria were dominant in the CWs, while Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Planctomycetota were prevalent in the WWTPs. Redundancy analysis and variance partitioning analysis indicated that transposase and water quality posed greater influences on the distribution of ARGs. Co-occurrence network revealed that potential multiple antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria decreased in the CWs. The coupled system has a limited effect on the reduction of ARGs and potential ARG hosts, providing a comprehensive insight into the fate of ARGs in conventional water-processing systems. | 2023 | 36738611 |
| 7208 | 11 | 0.9998 | Occurrence and removal of antibiotics and the corresponding resistance genes in wastewater treatment plants: effluents' influence to downstream water environment. In this study, the occurrence of 8 antibiotics [3 tetracyclines (TCs), 4 sulfonamides, and 1 trimethoprim (TMP)], 12 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) (10 tet, 2 sul), 4 types of bacteria [no antibiotics, anti-TC, anti-sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and anti-double], and intI1 in two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were assessed and their influences in downstream lake were investigated. Both WWTPs' effluent demonstrated some similarities, but the abundance and removal rate varied significantly. Results revealed that biological treatment mainly removed antibiotics and ARGs, whereas physical techniques were found to eliminate antibiotic resistance bacteria (ARBs) abundance (about 1 log for each one). UV disinfection did not significantly enhance the removal efficiency, and the release of the abundantly available target contaminants from the excess sludge may pose threats to human and the environment. Different antibiotics showed diverse influences on the downstream lake, and the concentrations of sulfamethazine (SM2) and SMX were observed to increase enormously. The total ARG abundance ascended about 0.1 log and some ARGs (e.g., tetC, intI1, tetA) increased due to the high input of the effluent. In addition, the abundance of ARB variation in the lake also changed, but the abundance of four types of bacteria remained stable in the downstream sampling sites. | 2016 | 26658782 |
| 3510 | 12 | 0.9998 | Spatiotemporal profile of tetracycline and sulfonamide and their resistance on a catchment scale. Tetracyclines and sulfonamides are the two classes of antibiotics commonly used in the medical, industrial and agricultural activities. Their extensive usage has caused the proliferation and propagation of resistant bacteria (ARB) and resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. In this study, the occurrence and distribution of tetracyclines (TC, OTC and CTC) and sulfonamides (SMX, SCX and TMP), their associated ARB and ARGs were quantified in water and sediments collected from the mainstream of Liaohe River, northeast China. The average concentration of tetracyclines was higher in May, while the concentration of sulfonamides was slightly higher in October. The highest concentrations of the total tetracyclines and sulfonamides in sediments were 2.7×10(3) ng/g and 2.1×10(2) ng/g respectively detected in May. All detected ARGs were found generally with high abundance. The tetA, tetB and tetE genes were dominant (4.4×10(-2) to 9.8×10(-1) copies of tet genes/copies of 16S rRNA genes) in total communities, and the average abundance of sul genes was expressed above 10(-1) in the water samples in May and October. Redundance analysis (RDA) and principle component analysis (PCA) indicated that the antibiotic residue was the most important contributor to the level of tetracycline and sulfonamide resistance genes, and some hydrogeological conditions (e.g. flow rate, intersection settlement) influenced the distribution of resistance genes. Results from this study could help understand the proliferation and propagation of antibiotic resistance on a river catchment scale and mitigate the potential risks to public health. | 2018 | 30029318 |
| 7237 | 13 | 0.9998 | Dominant denitrifying bacteria are important hosts of antibiotic resistance genes in pig farm anoxic-oxic wastewater treatment processes. The anoxic-oxic (A/O) wastewater treatment process that is widely used in pig farms in China is an important repository for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, the distribution of ARGs and their hosts in the A/O process has not been well characterized. In this study, the wastewaters in the anoxic and oxic tanks for A/O processes were collected from 38 pig farms. The concentrations of 20 subtypes of ARGs, 5 denitrification-related genes, 2 integrons, and bacterial community composition were investigated. Bacterial genome binning was performed using metagenome sequencing. In this study, 20 subtypes of ARGs and integrons were detected in all sampling sites. A total of 16 of the 20 subtypes of ARGs were detected with the highest abundance in anoxic tanks, and sul1 was detected with a maximum average abundance of 19.21 ± 0.24 log(10) (copies/mL). Cooccurrence patterns were observed for some genes in the pig farm A/O process, such as sul1 and intl1, sul1 and tetG, and tetO and tetW. There was a significant cooccurrence pattern between the dominant denitrifying bacteria and some ARGs (bla(TEM), ermB, tetC, tetH and tetQ), so the dominant denitrifying bacteria were considered to be potential ARG hosts. In addition, 170 highly abundant bacterial genome bins were assembled and further confirmed that the denitrifying bacteria Brachymonas, Candidatus Competibacter, Thiobacillus and Steroidobacter were the important ARG hosts in the pig farm A/O process, providing a useful reference for the surveillance and risk management of ARGs in pig farm wastewater. | 2020 | 32615347 |
| 7093 | 14 | 0.9998 | Class 1 integrase, sulfonamide and tetracycline resistance genes in wastewater treatment plant and surface water. Wastewater treatment plants are considered hot spots for multiplication and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes. In this study, we determined the presence of class 1 integron integrase and genes conferring resistance to tetracyclines and sulfonamides in the genomes of culturable bacteria isolated from a wastewater treatment plant and the river that receives the treated wastewater. Moreover, using PCR-based metagenomic approach, we quantified intI1, tet and sul genes. Wastewater treatment caused the decrease in the total number of culturable heterotrophs and bacteria resistant to tetracycline and sulfonamides, along with the decrease in the number of intI1, sul and tet gene copies per ml, with significant reduction of tet(B). On the other hand, the treatment process increased both the frequency of tetracycline- and sulfonamide-resistant bacteria and intI1-positive strains, and the relative abundance of all quantified antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and intI1 gene; in the case of tet(A) and sul2 significantly. The discharge of treated wastewater increased the number of intI1, tet and sul genes in the receiving river water both in terms of copy number per ml and relative abundance. Hence, despite the reduction of the number of ARGs and ARBs, wastewater treatment selects for bacteria with ARGs in effluent. | 2016 | 26519797 |
| 7092 | 15 | 0.9997 | Sulfonamide antibiotics in the Northern Yellow Sea are related to resistant bacteria: implications for antibiotic resistance genes. Antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) residues and the mode of transmission in marine environments remain unclear. The sulfonamide (SAs) concentrations, different genes and total bacterial abundance in seawater and sediment of the Northern Yellow Sea were analyzed. Results showed the genes sul I and sul II were present at relatively high concentrations in all samples, whereas the gene sul III was detected fewer. The ARGs concentrations in the sediment were 10(3) times higher than those in water, which indicated sediment was essential ARG reservoir. Statistical analysis revealed the total antibiotic concentration was positively correlated with the relative abundance of the gene sul I and sul II. The relative abundances of the gene sul I and the gene sul II were also correlated positively with those of the gene int1. This correlation demonstrated that SAs exerted selective pressure on these ARGs, whereas the gene int1 could be implicated in the propagation of the genes sul I and sul II in marine environments. | 2014 | 24928456 |
| 7229 | 16 | 0.9997 | Occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes in the urban water cycle. This study investigates the antibiotic resistance fate in the urban water cycle, evaluating the dynamics of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in three different full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and two drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) located in the same geographical area (North-West of Italy). ARB (tetracycline-, ampicillin-, and sulfonamide-resistant bacteria) were quantified by plate counting and the abundances of selected ARGs (i.e., tetA, bla(TEM), and sulII) and intI1 gene were measured using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Higher concentrations of ARB and ARGs were observed in the WWTPs with respect to the DWTPs identifying the WWTP as hotspot for the spread of antibiotic resistances. Although a significant reduction of ARB and ARGs was observed in WWTPs and DWTPs after the treatment, none of the detected ARB or ARGs was completely removed in drinking water. The stability of the antibiotic-resistant rates between inlet and outlet associated with the reduction of relative ARG abundances underlined that both the treatments (WWTs and DWTs) did not apply any selective pressure. The overall results highlighted the importance to investigate the antibiotic resistance dynamics in aquatic ecosystems involved in urban water cycle integrating the information obtained by culture-dependent method with the culture-independent one and the need to monitor the presence of ARB and ARGs mainly in drinking water that represents a potential route of transmission to human. | 2023 | 36527555 |
| 7226 | 17 | 0.9997 | Seasonal variation in antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial phenotypes in swine wastewater during three-chamber anaerobic pond treatment. Antibiotic resistance is a global public health concern. Antibiotic usage in pigs makes swine wastewater (SW) a reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). SW is usually stored and treated in a three-chamber anaerobic pond (3-CAP) in medium and small pig farms in northern China. However, the yet unexplored presence of ARGs in SW during 3-CAP treatment may result in ARGs spreading into the environment if farmers apply SW to farmland as a liquid organic fertilizer. This study investigated the profiles of and changes in ARGs in SW during its treatment in 3-CAP over four seasons and analyzed the correlation between ARGs and bacterial phenotypes, along with the physicochemical parameters of the water. The results revealed that ARG abundance decreased considerably after 3-CAP treatment in April (47%), October (47%), and December (62%) but increased in May (43%) and August (73%). The ARG copies in the influent and other SW samples increased significantly from 10(7) copies/mL in April to 10(9) copies/mL in October and were maintained in December. The increase in ARG abundance was not as rapid as the growth of the bacterial population, resulting in lower relative abundance in October and December. Bacterial communities possessed more sul1 and tetM genes, which were also positively correlated with mobile genetic elements. After the 3-CAP treatment, 16% of antibiotics and 60% of heavy metals were removed, and both had a weak correlation with ARGs. Predicted phenotypes showed that gram-positive (G(+)) and gram-negative (G(-)) bacteria have different capacities for carrying ARGs. G(+) bacteria carry more ARGs than G(-) bacteria. This study revealed the persistence of ARGs in SW after 3-CAP treatment over different seasons. Applying SW in the proper month will mitigate ARG dissemination to the environment. | 2023 | 36208778 |
| 7225 | 18 | 0.9997 | Risk assessment of the spread of antibiotic resistance genes from hospitals to the receiving environment via wastewater treatment plants. Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) enter the receiving environment from hospitals through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), increasing the presence of exogenous ARGs and conditional pathogens in the receiving environment, thereby elevating the risk of drug resistance. This study, based on metagenomics, investigated changes in risk across each node in the ARG transmission chain, from hospitals through WWTPs to downstream receiving water and sediments. The results showed that the total concentration of antibiotics decreased from 1467.80 ± 215.30 µg/L in hospital wastewater to 111.52 ± 18.70 µg/L in downstream receiving water, achieving a 92.40 % removal rate. However, the types of high ecological risk antibiotics in hospital wastewater were only reduced by 38.46 % after treatment by hospitals and sewage treatment plants. The abundance of Rank I ARGs was reduced by 37.03 % in hospital sewage treatment stations and 28.57 % in WWTPs, but these ARGs accounted for 81.8 % of the Rank I ARGs in receiving water. The potential host bacteria for these ARGs were mainly Proteobacteria, which carried bacitracin and multidrug resistance genes. While WWTPs removed 66.67 % of the conditional pathogens, bacteria such as Acinetobacter and Streptococcus still entered the receiving water. MetaCompare revealed that the potential transmission risk of ARGs decreased by 24.31 % after hospital wastewater treatment and by 20.71 % after WWTPs, with the risk of the receiving water being 7.01 times that in sediments. The potential risk assessment framework developed in this study for antibiotics and ARGs in the environment provides a theoretical guidance for antibiotic treatment and ARGs environmental risk control. | 2025 | 41161238 |
| 6859 | 19 | 0.9997 | Exploring the antibiotic resistome in activated sludge and anaerobic digestion sludge in an urban wastewater treatment plant via metagenomic analysis. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are emerging contaminants that pose a potential threat to human health worldwide. Urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a main source of both antibiotic-resistant bacteria and ARGs released into the environment. Nevertheless, the propagation of ARGs and their underlying mechanisms and the dynamics of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in WWTPs have rarely been investigated in South Korea. In this study, shotgun metagenomic analysis was used to identify comprehensive ARGs and their mechanisms, bacterial communities, and MGEs from 4 configurations with 2 activated sludge (AS) and 2 anaerobic digestion sludge (ADS) samples. A total of 181 ARG subtypes belonging to 22 ARG types were broadly detected, and the ARG abundances in the AS samples were 1.3-2.0 orders of magnitude higher than in the ADS samples. Multidrug and bacitracin resistance genes were the predominant ARG types in AS samples, followed by ARGs against sulfonamide, tetracycline, and β-lactam. However, the composition of ARG types in ADS samples was significantly changed. The abundance of multidrug and β-lactam resistance genes was drastically reduced in the ADS samples. The resistance genes of MLS were the predominant, followed by ARGs against sulfonamide and tetracycline in the ADS samples. In addition, plasmids were the dominant MGEs in the AS samples, while integrons (intI1) were the dominant MGEs in the ADS samples. These results provide valuable information regarding the prevalence of ARG types and MGEs and the difference patterns between the AS and ADS systems. | 2020 | 31875929 |