Tossed 'good luck' coins as vectors for anthropogenic pollution into aquatic environment. - Related Documents




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735601.0000Tossed 'good luck' coins as vectors for anthropogenic pollution into aquatic environment. Superstition has it that tossing coins into wells or fountains brings good luck, thereby causing a potential accumulation of microbially contaminated metal particles in the water. Here, we characterized the microbiota and the resistance profile in biofilm on such coins and their surrounding sediments. The study site was a tidal marine lake within a touristic center located in a natural reserve area. Notwithstanding the fact that coin-related biofilms were dominated by typical marine taxa, coin biofilms had specific microbial communities that were different from the communities of the surrounding sediment. Moreover, the communities were different depending on whether the coin were made mainly of steel or of copper. Sequences affiliated with putative pathogens were found on every third coin but were not found in the surrounding sediment. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were detected on most of the coins, and interestingly, sediments close to the area where coins accumulate had a higher frequency of ARGs. We suggest that the surface of the coins might offer a niche for ARGs and faecal bacteria to survive, and, thus, tossed coins are a potential source and vector for ARGs into the surrounding environment.202031887589
738110.9994Constitutive presence of antibiotic resistance genes within the bacterial community of a large subalpine lake. The fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in environmental microbial communities is of primary concern as prodromal of a potential transfer to pathogenic bacteria. Although of diverse origin, the persistence of ARGs in aquatic environments is highly influenced by anthropic activities, allowing potential control actions in well-studied environments. However, knowledge of abundance and space-time distribution of ARGs in ecosystems is still scarce. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we investigated the presence and the abundance of twelve ARGs (against tetracyclines, β-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones and sulphonamides) at different sampling sites, depths and seasons, in Lake Maggiore, a large subalpine lake, and in the area of its watershed. We then evaluated the correlation between each ARG and a number of ecological parameters in the water column in the deepest part of the lake. Our results suggest the constitutive presence of at least four ARGs within the bacterial community with a high proportion of bacteria potentially resistant to tetracyclines and sulphonamides. The presence of these ARGs was independent of the total bacterial density and temperature. The dynamics of tet(A) and sulII genes were, however, positively correlated with dissolved oxygen and negatively to chlorophyll a, suggesting that the resistant microbes inhabit specific niches. These observations indicate that the lake is a reservoir of antibiotic resistances, highlighting the need of a deeper understanding of the sources of ARGs and the factors allowing their persistence in waters.201526118321
768620.9994Bacterial tolerances to metals and antibiotics in metal-contaminated and reference streams. Anthropogenic-derived sources of selection are typically implicated as mechanisms for maintaining antibiotic resistance in the environment. Here we report an additional mechanism for maintaining antibiotic resistance in the environment through bacterial exposure to metals. Using a culture-independent approach, bacteria sampled along a gradient of metal contamination were more tolerant of antibiotics and metals compared to bacteria from a reference site. This evidence supports the hypothesis that metal contamination directly selects for metal tolerant bacteria while co-selecting for antibiotic tolerant bacteria. Additionally, to assess how antibiotic and metal tolerance may be transported through a stream network, we studied antibiotic and metal tolerance patterns over three months in bacteria collected from multiple stream microhabitats including the water column, biofilm, sediment and Corbicula fluminea (Asiatic clam) digestive tracts. Sediment bacteria were the most tolerant to antibiotics and metals, while bacteria from Corbicula were the least tolerant. Differences between microhabitats may be important for identifying reservoirs of resistance and for predicting how these genes are transferred and transported in metal-contaminated streams. Temporal dynamics were not directly correlated to a suite of physicochemical parameters, suggesting that tolerance patterns within microhabitats are linked to a complex interaction of the physicochemical characteristics of the stream.200617064270
737430.9994Unravelling the Portuguese Coastal and Transitional Waters' Microbial Resistome as a Biomarker of Differential Anthropogenic Impact. Portugal mainland and Atlantic archipelagos (Madeira and Azores) provide a wide array of coastal ecosystems with varying typology and degrees of human pressure, which shape the microbial communities thriving in these habitats, leading to the development of microbial resistance traits. The samples collected on the Portuguese northeast Atlantic coast waters show an unequivocal prevalence of Bacteria over Archaea with a high prevalence of Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. Several taxa, such as the Vibrio genus, showed significant correlations with anthropogenic pollution. These anthropogenic pressures, along with the differences in species diversity among the surveyed sites, lead to observed differences in the presence and resistance-related sequences' abundance (set of all metal and antibiotic resistant genes and their precursors in pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria). Gene ontology terms such as antibiotic resistance, redox regulation and oxidative stress response were prevalent. A higher number of significant correlations were found between the abundance of resistance-related sequences and pollution, inorganic pressures and density of nearby population centres when compared to the number of significant correlations between taxa abundance at different phylogenetic levels and the same environmental traits. This points towards predominance of the environmental conditions over the sequence abundance rather than the taxa abundance. Our data suggest that the whole resistome profile can provide more relevant or integrative answers in terms of anthropogenic disturbance of the environment, either as a whole or grouped in gene ontology groups, appearing as a promising tool for impact assessment studies which, due to the ubiquity of the sequences across microbes, can be surveyed independently of the taxa present in the samples.202236287893
767940.9994The High Risk of Bivalve Farming in Coastal Areas With Heavy Metal Pollution and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria: A Chilean Perspective. Anthropogenic pollution has a huge impact on the water quality of marine ecosystems. Heavy metals and antibiotics are anthropogenic stressors that have a major effect on the health of the marine organisms. Although heavy metals are also associate with volcanic eruptions, wind erosion or evaporation, most of them come from industrial and urban waste. Such contamination, coupled to the use and subsequent misuse of antimicrobials in aquatic environments, is an important stress factor capable of affecting the marine communities in the ecosystem. Bivalves are important ecological components of the oceanic environments and can bioaccumulate pollutants during their feeding through water filtration, acting as environmental sentinels. However, heavy metals and antibiotics pollution can affect several of their physiologic and immunological processes, including their microbiome. In fact, heavy metals and antibiotics have the potential to select resistance genes in bacteria, including those that are part of the microbiota of bivalves, such as Vibrio spp. Worryingly, antibiotic-resistant phenotypes have been shown to be more tolerant to heavy metals, and vice versa, which probably occurs through co- and cross-resistance pathways. In this regard, a crucial role of heavy metal resistance genes in the spread of mobile element-mediated antibiotic resistance has been suggested. Thus, it might be expected that antibiotic resistance of Vibrio spp. associated with bivalves would be higher in contaminated environments. In this review, we focused on co-occurrence of heavy metal and antibiotic resistance in Vibrio spp. In addition, we explore the Chilean situation with respect to the contaminants described above, focusing on the main bivalves-producing region for human consumption, considering bivalves as potential vehicles of antibiotic resistance genes to humans through the ingestion of contaminated seafood.202235463633
742150.9994Dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes associated with the sporobiota in sediments impacted by wastewater. Aquatic ecosystems serve as a dissemination pathway and a reservoir of both antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG). In this study, we investigate the role of the bacterial sporobiota to act as a vector for ARG dispersal in aquatic ecosystems. The sporobiota was operationally defined as the resilient fraction of the bacterial community withstanding a harsh extraction treatment eliminating the easily lysed fraction of the total bacterial community. The sporobiota has been identified as a critical component of the human microbiome, and therefore potentially a key element in the dissemination of ARG in human-impacted environments. A region of Lake Geneva in which the accumulation of ARG in the sediments has been previously linked to the deposition of treated wastewater was selected to investigate the dissemination of tet(W) and sul1, two genes conferring resistance to tetracycline and sulfonamide, respectively. Analysis of the abundance of these ARG within the sporobiome (collection of genes of the sporobiota) and correlation with community composition and environmental parameters demonstrated that ARG can spread across the environment with the sporobiota being the dispersal vector. A highly abundant OTU affiliated with the genus Clostridium was identified as a potential specific vector for the dissemination of tet(W), due to a strong correlation with tet(W) frequency (ARG copy numbers/ng DNA). The high dispersal rate, long-term survival, and potential reactivation of the sporobiota constitute a serious concern in terms of dissemination and persistence of ARG in the environment.201829942682
737360.9993Distributional Pattern of Bacteria, Protists, and Diatoms in Ocean according to Water Depth in the Northern South China Sea. Ocean microbiomes provide insightful details about the condition of water and the global impact of marine ecosystems. A fine-scale analysis of ocean microbes may shed light on the dynamics and function of the ocean microbiome community. In this study, we evaluated the changes in the community and function of marine bacteria, protists, and diatoms corresponding to different ocean depths using next-generation sequencing methods. We found that diatoms displayed a potential water-depth pattern in species richness (alpha diversity) and community composition (beta diversity). However, for bacteria and protists, there was no significant relationship between water depth and species richness. This may be related to the biological characteristics of diatoms. The photosynthesis of diatoms and their distribution may be associated with the fluctuating light regime in the underwater climate. Moreover, salinity displayed negative effects on the abundance of some diatom and bacterial groups, which indicates that salinity may be one of the factors restricting ocean microorganism diversity. In addition, compared to the global ocean microbiome composition, function, and antibiotic resistance genes, a water depth pattern due to the fine-scale region was not observed in this study. IMPORTANCE Fine-scale analysis of ocean microbes provides insights into the dynamics and functions of the ocean microbiome community. Here, using amplicon and metagenome sequencing methods, we found that diatoms in the northern South China Sea displayed a potential water-depth pattern in species richness and community composition, which may be related to their biological characteristics. The potential effects of the differences in geographic sites mainly occurred in the diatom and bacterial communities. Moreover, given the correlation between the environmental factors and relative abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), the study of ocean ARG distribution patterns should integrate the potential effects of environmental factors.202236222702
768170.9993Amoebae contribute to the diversity and fate of antibiotic resistance genes in drinking water system. Free-living amoebae represent a significant eukaryotic group that thrives in drinking water systems, posing considerable risks to water quality due to their inherent pathogenicity and associations with various microorganisms. However, the symbiotic microbial profiles of different amoeba species and the impact of amoeba-bacteria interactions on the antibiotic resistome within drinking water systems remain poorly understood. In this study, we obtained 24 amoeba isolates from tap water, encompassing diverse phyla within the amoeba lineage. Through metagenome sequencing, we uncovered variations in symbiotic microbiome composition across different amoeba species and strains. Notably, amoebae acted as vectors for human pathogens, including bacteria and viruses. The majority of symbionts carried multiple antibiotic-resistance genes and virulence factors. Furthermore, dominant symbiotic species could be cultured independently, underscoring the critical role of amoebae in preserving and transmitting antibiotic-resistant opportunistic pathogens in drinking water systems. Disinfection experiments demonstrated highly diverse viability of amoebae and their protective capabilities for symbionts against chlorine disinfection. Our findings expand the germplasm bank for amoebae and symbiotic bacteria derived from tap water and emphasize the necessity for further research on amoeba-bacteria symbiosis to ensure drinking water quality and public health safety.202541101029
768480.9993Trophic level and proteobacteria abundance drive antibiotic resistance levels in fish from coastal New England. BACKGROUND: The natural marine environment represents a vast reservoir of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. The wildlife that inhabits this environment plays an important role as the host to these bacteria and in the dissemination of resistance. The relationship between host diet, phylogeny, and trophic level and the microbiome/resistome in marine fish is not fully understood. To further explore this relationship, we utilize shotgun metagenomic sequencing to define the gastrointestinal tract microbiomes of seven different marine vertebrates collected in coastal New England waters. RESULTS: We identify inter and intraspecies differences in the gut microbiota of these wild marine fish populations. Furthermore, we find an association between antibiotic resistance genes and host dietary guild, which suggests that higher trophic level organisms have a greater abundance of resistance genes. Additionally, we demonstrate that antibiotic resistance gene burden is positively correlated with Proteobacteria abundance in the microbiome. Lastly, we identify dietary signatures within the gut of these fish and find evidence of possible dietary selection for bacteria with specific carbohydrate utilization potential. CONCLUSIONS: This work establishes a link between host lifestyle/dietary guild, and microbiome composition and the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes within the gastrointestinal tract of marine organisms. We expand the current understanding of marine organism-associated microbial communities and their role as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes.202336879316
398990.9993Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Aquaculture and Climate Change: A Challenge for Health in the Mediterranean Area. Aquaculture is the productive activity that will play a crucial role in the challenges of the millennium, such as the need for proteins that support humans and the respect for the environment. Aquaculture is an important economic activity in the Mediterranean basin. A great impact is presented, however, by aquaculture practices as they involve the use of antibiotics for treatment and prophylaxis. As a consequence of the use of antibiotics in aquaculture, antibiotic resistance is induced in the surrounding bacteria in the column water, sediment, and fish-associated bacterial strains. Through horizontal gene transfer, bacteria can diffuse antibiotic-resistance genes and mobile resistance genes further spreading genetic determinants. Once triggered, antibiotic resistance easily spreads among aquatic microbial communities and, from there, can reach human pathogenic bacteria, making vain the use of antibiotics for human health. Climate change claims a significant role in this context, as rising temperatures can affect cell physiology in bacteria in the same way as antibiotics, causing antibiotic resistance to begin with. The Mediterranean Sea represents a 'hot spot' in terms of climate change and aspects of antibiotic resistance in aquaculture in this area can be significantly amplified, thus increasing threats to human health. Practices must be adopted to counteract negative impacts on human health, with a reduction in the use of antibiotics as a pivotal point. In the meantime, it is necessary to act against climate change by reducing anthropogenic impacts, for example by reducing CO(2) emissions into the atmosphere. The One Health type approach, which involves the intervention of different skills, such as veterinary, ecology, and medicine in compliance with the principles of sustainability, is necessary and strongly recommended to face these important challenges for human and animal health, and for environmental safety in the Mediterranean area.202134073520
3987100.9993Antibiotics, Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria, and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: Indicators of Contamination in Mangroves? Multidrug-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes can be monitored as indicators of contamination in several environments. Mangroves are among the most productive ecosystems, and although they can be resilient to the action of climate phenomena, their equilibrium can be affected by anthropogenic activities. Regarding the presence and persistence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in mangroves, it is common to think that this ecosystem can function as a reservoir, which can disperse the antibiotic resistance capacity to human pathogens, or serve as a filter to eliminate drug-resistant genes. The possible impact of anthropogenic activities carried out near mangroves is reviewed, including wastewater treatment, food production systems, leisure, and tourism. Adverse effects of antibiotic resistance genes or multidrug-resistant bacteria, considered as emerging contaminants, have not been reported yet in mangroves. On the contrary, mangrove ecosystems can be a natural way to eliminate antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and even antibiotic-resistant genes from the environment. Although mangroves' role in decreasing antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes from the environment is being proposed, the mechanisms by which these plants reduce these emerging contaminants have not been elucidated and need further studies. Additionally, further evaluation is needed on the effects of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in mangroves to generate an analysis of the human contribution to the degradation of this specific ecosystem as well as to define if these contaminants can be used as indicators of contamination in mangrove ecosystems.202134572685
6884110.9993The changes in antibiotic resistance genes during 86 years of the soil ripening process without anthropogenic activities. This study aimed to reveal the baseline of natural variations in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil without anthropogenic activities over the decades. Nine soil samples with different time of soil formation were taken from the Yancheng Wetland National Nature Reserve, China. ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were characterized using metagenomic analysis. A total of 196 and 192 subtypes of ARGs were detected in bulk soil and rhizosphere, respectively. The diversity and abundance of ARGs were stable during 69 years probably due to the alkaline pH soil environment but not due to antibiotics. Increases in ARGs after 86 years were probably attributed to more migrant birds inhabited compared with other sampling sites. Multidrug was the most abundant type, and largely shared by soil samples. It was further shown that soil samples could not be clearly distinguished, suggesting a slow process of succession of ARGs in the mudflat. The variation partitioning analysis revealed that the ARG profile was driven by the comprehensive effects exhibited by the bacterial community, MGEs, and environmental factors. Besides, pathogenic bacteria containing ARGs mediated by migrant birds in the area with 86 years of soil formation history nearing human settlements needed special attention. This study revealed the slow variations in ARGs in the soil ripening process without anthropogenic activities over decades, and it provided information for assessing the effect of human activities on the occurrence and dissemination of ARGs.202133228990
6698120.9993The risk of transmitting antibiotic resistance through endophytic bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is a global human health threat distributed across humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Under the One-Health concept (humans, animals, and environment), the contamination of water bodies and soil by antibiotic-resistant bacteria cannot be dissociated from its potential transmission to humans. Edible plants can be colonized by a vast diversity of bacteria, representing an important link between the environment and humans in the One-Health triad. Based on multiple examples of bacterial groups that comprise endophytes reported in edible plants, and that have close phylogenetic proximity with human opportunistic pathogens, we argue that plants exposed to human-derived biological contamination may represent a path of transmission of antibiotic resistance to humans.202134593300
6480130.9993Antibiotics in the Soil Environment-Degradation and Their Impact on Microbial Activity and Diversity. Antibiotics play a key role in the management of infectious diseases in humans, animals, livestock, and aquacultures all over the world. The release of increasing amount of antibiotics into waters and soils creates a potential threat to all microorganisms in these environments. This review addresses issues related to the fate and degradation of antibiotics in soils and the impact of antibiotics on the structural, genetic and functional diversity of microbial communities. Due to the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, which is considered a worldwide public health problem, the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soils are also discussed. When antibiotic residues enter the soil, the main processes determining their persistence are sorption to organic particles and degradation/transformation. The wide range of DT50 values for antibiotic residues in soils shows that the processes governing persistence depend on a number of different factors, e.g., physico-chemical properties of the residue, characteristics of the soil, and climatic factors (temperature, rainfall, and humidity). The results presented in this review show that antibiotics affect soil microorganisms by changing their enzyme activity and ability to metabolize different carbon sources, as well as by altering the overall microbial biomass and the relative abundance of different groups (i.e., Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and fungi) in microbial communities. Studies using methods based on analyses of nucleic acids prove that antibiotics alter the biodiversity of microbial communities and the presence of many types of ARGs in soil are affected by agricultural and human activities. It is worth emphasizing that studies on ARGs in soil have resulted in the discovery of new genes and enzymes responsible for bacterial resistance to antibiotics. However, many ambiguous results indicate that precise estimation of the impact of antibiotics on the activity and diversity of soil microbial communities is a great challenge.201930906284
7350140.9993The vertical distribution of tetA and intI1 in a deep lake is rather due to sedimentation than to resuspension. Lakes are exposed to anthropogenic pollution including the release of allochthonous bacteria into their waters. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) stabilize in bacterial communities of temperate lakes, and these environments act as long-term reservoirs of ARGs. Still, it is not clear if the stabilization of the ARGs is caused by a periodical introduction, or by other factors regulated by dynamics within the water column. Here we observed the dynamics of the tetracycline resistance gene (tetA) and of the class 1 integron integrase gene intI1 a proxy of anthropogenic pollution in the water column and in the sediments of subalpine Lake Maggiore, together with several chemical, physical and microbiological variables. Both genes resulted more abundant within the bacterial community of the sediment compared to the water column and the water-sediment interface. Only at the inset of thermal stratification they reached quantifiable abundances in all the water layers, too. Moreover, the bacterial communities of the water-sediment interface were more similar to deep waters than to the sediments. These results suggest that the vertical distribution of tetA and intI1 is mainly due to the deposition of bacteria from the surface water to the sediment, while their resuspension from the sediment is less important.202031926010
4032150.9993Could bacteriophages transfer antibiotic resistance genes from environmental bacteria to human-body associated bacterial populations? Environments without any contact with anthropogenic antibiotics show a great abundance of antibiotic resistance genes that use to be chromosomal and are part of the core genes of the species that harbor them. Some of these genes are shared with human pathogens where they appear in mobile genetic elements. Diversity of antibiotic resistance genes in non-contaminated environments is much greater than in human and animal pathogens, and in environments contaminated with antibiotic from anthropogenic activities. This suggests the existence of some bottleneck effect for the mobilization of antibiotic resistance genes among different biomes. Bacteriophages have characteristics that make them suitable vectors between different biomes, and as well for transferring genes from biome to biome. Recent metagenomic studies and detection of bacterial genes by genomic techniques in the bacteriophage fraction of different microbiota provide indirect evidences that the mobilization of genes mediated by phages, including antibiotic resistance genes, is far more relevant than previously thought. Our hypothesis is that bacteriophages might be of critical importance for evading one of the bottlenecks, the lack of ecological connectivity that modulates the pass of antibiotic resistance genes from natural environments such as waters and soils, to animal and human microbiomes. This commentary concentrates on the potential importance of bacteriophages in transferring resistance genes from the environment to human and animal body microbiomes, but there is no doubt that transduction occurs also in body microbiomes.201324195016
3998160.9993Impact factors of the accumulation, migration and spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment. Antibiotic resistance is a great concern, which leads to global public health risks and ecological and environmental risks. The presence of antibiotic-resistant genes and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment exacerbates the risk of spreading antibiotic resistance. Among them, horizontal gene transfer is an important mode in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, and it is one of the reasons that the antibiotic resistance pollution has become increasingly serious. At the same time, free antibiotic resistance genes and resistance gene host bacterial also exist in the natural environment. They can not only affect horizontal gene transfer, but can also migrate and aggregate among environmental media in many ways and then continue to affect the proliferate and transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. All this shows the seriousness of antibiotic resistance pollution. Therefore, in this review, we reveal the sensitive factors affecting the distribution and spread of antibiotic resistance through three aspects: the influencing factors of horizontal gene transfer, the host bacteria of resistance genes and the migration of antibiotic resistance between environmental media. This review reveals the huge role of environmental migration in the spread of antibiotic resistance, and the environmental behavior of antibiotic resistance deserves wider attention. Meanwhile, extracellular antibiotic resistance genes and intracellular antibiotic resistance genes play different roles, so they should be studied separately.202133123928
7472170.9993Accumulation and expression of multiple antibiotic resistance genes in Arcobacter cryaerophilus that thrives in sewage. We explored the bacterial diversity of untreated sewage influent samples of a wastewater treatment plant in Tucson, AZ and discovered that Arcobacter cryaerophilus, an emerging human pathogen of animal origin, was the most dominant bacterium. The other highly prevalent bacteria were members of the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, which are major constituents of human gut microbiome, indicating that bacteria of human and animal origin intermingle in sewage. By assembling a near-complete genome of A. cryaerophilus, we show that the bacterium has accumulated a large number of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) probably enabling it to thrive in the wastewater. We also determined that a majority of ARGs was being expressed in sewage, suggestive of trace levels of antibiotics or other stresses that could act as a selective force that amplifies multidrug resistant bacteria in municipal sewage. Because all bacteria are not eliminated even after several rounds of wastewater treatment, ARGs in sewage could affect public health due to their potential to contaminate environmental water.201728462059
7474180.9993Fecal pollution can explain antibiotic resistance gene abundances in anthropogenically impacted environments. Discharge of treated sewage leads to release of antibiotic resistant bacteria, resistance genes and antibiotic residues to the environment. However, it is unclear whether increased abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in sewage and sewage-impacted environments is due to on-site selection pressure by residual antibiotics, or is simply a result of fecal contamination with resistant bacteria. Here we analyze relative resistance gene abundance and accompanying extent of fecal pollution in publicly available metagenomic data, using crAssphage sequences as a marker of human fecal contamination (crAssphage is a bacteriophage that is exceptionally abundant in, and specific to, human feces). We find that the presence of resistance genes can largely be explained by fecal pollution, with no clear signs of selection in the environment, with the exception of environments polluted by very high levels of antibiotics from manufacturing, where selection is evident. Our results demonstrate the necessity to take into account fecal pollution levels to avoid making erroneous assumptions regarding environmental selection of antibiotic resistance.201930622259
3995190.9993Bacterial diversity and antibiotic resistance in water habitats: searching the links with the human microbiome. Water is one of the most important bacterial habitats on Earth. As such, water represents also a major way of dissemination of bacteria between different environmental compartments. Human activities led to the creation of the so-called urban water cycle, comprising different sectors (waste, surface, drinking water), among which bacteria can hypothetically be exchanged. Therefore, bacteria can be mobilized between unclean water habitats (e.g. wastewater) and clean or pristine water environments (e.g. disinfected and spring drinking water) and eventually reach humans. In addition, bacteria can also transfer mobile genetic elements between different water types, other environments (e.g. soil) and humans. These processes may involve antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. In this review, the hypothesis that some bacteria may share different water compartments and be also hosted by humans is discussed based on the comparison of the bacterial diversity in different types of water and with the human-associated microbiome. The role of such bacteria as potential disseminators of antibiotic resistance and the inference that currently only a small fraction of the clinically relevant antibiotic resistome may be known is discussed.201424484530