# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 7878 | 0 | 1.0000 | Horizontal transfer of the multidrug resistance plasmid RP4 inhibits ammonia nitrogen removal dominated by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have become an important public health concern. Particularly, although several ARGs have been identified in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), very few studies have characterized their impacts on reactor performance. Therefore, our study sought to investigate the effect of a representative conjugative transfer plasmid (RP4) encoding multidrug resistance genes on ammonia oxidation. To achieve this, we established sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) and a conjugation model with E. coli donor strains carrying the RP4 plasmid and a typical ammonia-oxidating (AOB) bacterial strain (Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC 25978) as a recipient to investigate the effect of conjugative transfer of plasmid RP4 on AOB. Our findings demonstrated that the RP4 plasmid carried by the donor strains could be transferred to AOB in the SBR and to Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC 25978. In SBR treated with donor strains carrying the RP4 plasmid, ammonia removal efficiency continuously decreased to 71%. Once the RP4 plasmid entered N. europaea ATCC 25978 in the conjugation model, ammonia removal was significantly inhibited and nitrite generation was decreased. Furthermore, the expression of several functional genes related to ammonia oxidation in AOB was suppressed following the transfer of the RP4 plasmid, including amoA, amoC, hao, nirK, and norB. In contrast, the cytL gene encoding cytochrome P460 was upregulated. These results demonstrated the ecological risk of ARGs in WWTPs, and therefore measures must be taken to avoid their transfer. | 2022 | 35427829 |
| 8508 | 1 | 0.9994 | Phenolic compounds promote the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge. Phenolic compounds are common organic pollutants in wastewater. During the wastewater treatment process, these compounds may influence the microbial community structure and functions. However, the impact of the phenolic compounds in the wastewater treatment plants on the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has not been well assessed. In this study, we investigated the horizontal transfer of ARGs under the stress of phenolic compounds. The results showed that in pure culture bacteria system, p-nitrophenol (PNP), p-aminophenol (PAP) and phenol (PhOH) (10-100 mg/L) can significantly increase the horizontal transfer frequency of ARGs by 2.2-4.6, 3.6-9.4 and 1.9-9.0 fold, respectively. And, the RP4 plasmid transfer from Escherichia coli HB101 (E. coli HB101) to the bacteria in activated sludge increased obviously under the stress of phenolic compounds. Further investigation revealed that the PNP and PhOH at the concentration of 10-100 mg/L increased the production of reactive oxygen species and the permeability of cell membrane in the donor and recipient, which could be the causes of horizontal transfer of RP4 plasmid. In addition, it was also found that PNP, PAP and PhOH stress inhibit the expression of the global regulatory genes korB and trbA in the RP4 plasmid, and increase the expression level of the traF gene, thereby promoting the conjugative transfer of the RP4 plasmid. Taken together, these results improved our understanding of the horizontal transfer of ARGs under the stress of phenolic compounds and provided basic information for management of the systems that treat wastewater containing phenolic compounds. | 2021 | 34392203 |
| 7879 | 2 | 0.9994 | Multidrug-resistant plasmid RP4 increases NO and N(2)O yields via the electron transport system in Nitrosomonas europaea ammonia oxidation. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have recently become an important public health problem and therefore several studies have characterized ARG composition and distribution. However, few studies have assessed their impact on important functional microorganisms in the environment. Therefore, our study sought to investigate the mechanisms through which multidrug-resistant plasmid RP4 affected the ammonia oxidation capacity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, which play a key role in the nitrogen cycle. The ammonia oxidation capacity of N. europaea ATCC25978 (RP4) was significantly inhibited, and NO and N(2)O were produced instead of nitrite. Our findings demonstrated that the decrease in electrons from NH(2)OH decreased the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) activity, leading to a decrease in ammonia consumption. In the ammonia oxidation process, N. europaea ATCC25978 (RP4) exhibited ATP and NADH accumulation. The corresponding mechanism was the overactivation of Complex Ⅰ, ATPase, and the TCA cycle by the RP4 plasmid. The genes encoding TCA cycle enzymes related to energy generation, including gltA, icd, sucD, and NE0773, were upregulated in N. europaea ATCC25978 (RP4). These results demonstrate the ecological risks of ARGs, including the inhibition of the ammonia oxidation process and an increased production of greenhouse gases such as NO and N(2)O. | 2023 | 37421866 |
| 8507 | 3 | 0.9993 | Co-effect of cadmium and iron oxide nanoparticles on plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. Conjunctive transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among bacteria driven by plasmids facilitated the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance. Heavy metal exposure accelerated the plasmid-mediated conjunctive transfer of ARGs. Nanomaterials are well-known adsorbents for heavy metals removal, with the capability of combatting resistant bacteria/facilitating conjunctive transfer of ARGs. However, co-effect of heavy metals and nanomaterials on plasmid-mediated conjunctive transfer of ARGs was still unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of the simultaneous exposure of Cd(2+) and nano Fe(2)O(3) on conjugative transfer of plasmid RP4 from Pseudomonas putida KT2442 to water microbial community. The permeability of bacterial cell membranes, antioxidant enzyme activities and conjugation gene expression were also investigated. The results suggested that the combination of Cd(2+) and high concentration nano Fe(2)O(3) (10 mg/L and 100 mg/L) significantly increased conjugative transfer frequencies of RP4 plasmid (p < 0.05). The most transconjugants were detected in the treatment of co-exposure to Cd(2+) and nano Fe(2)O(3), the majority of which were identified to be human pathogens. The mechanisms of the exacerbated conjugative transfer of ARGs were involved in the enhancement of cell membrane permeability, antioxidant enzyme activities, and mRNA expression levels of the conjugation genes by the co-effect of Cd(2+) and nano Fe(2)O(3). This study confirmed that the simultaneous exposure to Cd(2+)and nano Fe(2)O(3) exerted a synergetic co-effect on plasmid-mediated conjunctive transfer of ARGs, emphasizing that the co-effect of nanomaterials and heavy metals should be prudently evaluated when combating antibiotic resistance. | 2021 | 33798824 |
| 8524 | 4 | 0.9993 | Tebuconazole exacerbates co-occurrence and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. As one of the most widely used pesticides in the global fungicide market, tebuconazole has become heavily embedded in soil along with antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, it remains unclear whether the selective pressure produced by tebuconazole affects ARGs and their horizontal transfer. In this experiment, we simulated a tebuconazole-contaminated soil ecosystem and observed changes in the abundance of ARGs and mobile genetic element (MGEs) due to tebuconazole exposure. We also established a plasmid RP4-mediated conjugative transfer system to investigate in depth the impact of tebuconazole on the horizontal transfer of ARGs and its mechanism of action. The results showed that under tebuconazole treatment at concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 mg/L, there was a gradual increase in the frequency of plasmid conjugative transfer, peaking at 10 mg/L which was 7.93 times higher than that of the control group, significantly promoting horizontal transfer of ARGs. Further analysis revealed that the conjugative transfer system under tebuconazole stress exhibited strong ability to form biofilm, and the conjugative transfer frequency ratio of biofilm to planktonic bacteria varied with the growth cycle of biofilm. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated increased cell membrane permeability in both donor and recipient bacteria under tebuconazole stress, accompanied by upregulation of ompA gene expression controlling cell membrane permeability. Furthermore, enzyme activity assays indicated significant increases in CAT, SOD activity, and GSH content in recipient bacteria under tebuconazole stress. Moreover, expression levels of transmembrane transporter gene trfAp as well as genes involved in oxidative stress and SOS response were found to be correlated with the frequency of plasmid conjugative transfer. | 2024 | 39277355 |
| 7862 | 5 | 0.9993 | Synergistic effect of sulfidated nanoscale zerovalent iron in donor and recipient bacterial inactivation and gene conjugative transfer inhibition. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) are widespread in urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs). In this research, a horizontal transfer model of recipient (Pseudomonas. HLS-6) and donor (Escherichia coli DH5α carries RP4 plasmid) was constructed to explore the effect of sulfidated nanoscale zerovalent iron (S-nZVI) on the efficiency of plasmid-mediated horizontal transfer. When the S/Fe was 0.1, the inactivation efficiency of 1120 mg/L S-nZVI on the donor and recipient bacteria were 2.36 ± 0.03 log and 3.50 ± 0.17 log after 30 min, respectively (initial ARB concentration ≈ 5 ×10(7) CFU/mL). Effects of treatment time, S/Fe molar ratio, S-nZVI dosage and initial bacterial concentration were systemically studied. S-nZVI treatment could increase the extracellular alkaline phosphatase and malondialdehyde content of the ARB, cause oxidative stress in the bacteria, destroy the cell structure and damage the intracellular DNA. This study provided evidence and insights into possible underlying mechanisms for reducing conjugative transfer, such as hindering cell membrane repair, inducing the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, inhibiting the SOS response, reducing the expression of ARGs and related transfer genes. S-nZVI could inhibit the gene conjugative transfer while inactivating the ARB. The findings provided an alternative method for controlling antibiotic resistance. | 2022 | 35334272 |
| 8523 | 6 | 0.9992 | Tebuconazole promotes spread of a multidrug-resistant plasmid into soil bacteria to form new resistant bacterial strains. The development of antibiotic resistance threatens human and environmental health. Non-antibiotic stressors, including fungicides, may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). We determined the promoting effects of tebuconazole on ARG dissemination using a donor, Escherichia coli MG1655, containing a multidrug-resistant fluorescent plasmid (RP4) and a recipient (E. coli HB101). The donor was then incorporated into the soil to test whether tebuconazole could accelerate the spread of RP4 into indigenous bacteria. Tebuconazole promoted the transfer of the RP4 plasmid from the donor into the recipient via overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), enhancement of cell membrane permeability and regulation of related genes. The dissemination of the RP4 plasmid from the donor to soil bacteria was significantly enhanced by tebuconazole. RP4 plasmid could be propagated into more genera of bacteria in tebuconazole-contaminated soil as the exposure time increased. These findings demonstrate that the fungicide tebuconazole promotes the spread of the RP4 plasmid into indigenous soil bacteria, revealing the potential risk of tebuconazole residues enhancing the dissemination of ARGs in soil environments. | 2024 | 38615769 |
| 8495 | 7 | 0.9992 | Effects of voltage and tetracycline on horizontal transfer of ARGs in microbial electrolysis cells. The abuse of antibiotics leads to the production of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have been widely applicated in the field of degrading antibiotics. ARGs were increased via horizontal transfer in single and two-chamber MECs. As one of the critical parameters in MECs, voltage has a particular impact on the ARGs transfer via horizontal transfer. However, there have been few studies of ARGs transfer under the exposure of antibiotics and voltage in MECs. In this study, five concentrations of tetracycline (0, 1, 5, 10, 20 mg/L) were selected to explore the conjugative transfer frequency of plasmid-encoded the ARGs from the donor (E. coli RP4) to receptor (E. coli HB101) in MECs, two voltages (1.5 and 2.0 V) were used to explore the conjugative transfer frequency of ARGs in MECs, then, the transfer of ARGs in MECs under the co-effect of tetracycline and voltage was explored. The results showed that the conjugative transfer frequency of ARGs was significantly increased with the increase of tetracycline concentration and voltage, respectively (p < 0.05). Under the pressure of tetracycline and voltage, the conjugative transfer frequency of ARGs is significantly enhanced with the co-effect of tetracycline and voltage (p < 0.05). The oxidative response induced by electrical stimulation promotes the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and the enhancement of cell membrane permeability of donor and recipient bacteria in MECs. These findings provide insights for studying the spread of ARGs in MECs. | 2024 | 35980276 |
| 7918 | 8 | 0.9992 | Robustness of the partial nitrification-anammox system exposing to triclosan wastewater: Stress relieved by extracellular polymeric substances and resistance genes. The partial nitrification-anammox (PN/A) process is a promising method for the treatment of municipal wastewater. It is necessary to clarify the responses of PN/A system to antimicrobial agent triclosan (TCS) widely existed in the influent of wastewater treatment plants. In this study, it was found that PN/A system was robust to cope with 0.5 mg/L TCS. Specifically, the control reactor reached 80% total nitrogen removal efficiency (TNRE) on day 107, while the reactor feeding with 0.5 mg/L TCS reached the same TNRE on day 84. The results of the activity test, high-throughput sequencing and DNA-based stable isotope probing showed that 0.5 mg/L TCS did not impede the performance of ammonia oxidizing archaea, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (Nitrosomonas) and anammox bacteria (Candidatus Brocadia and Ca. Kuenenia), but significant inhibited the nitrite oxidizing bacteria (Nitrospira and Ca. Nitrotoga) and denitrifying bacteria. The influent TCS led to the increase of EPS content and enrichment of four resistance genes (RGs) (intI1, sul1, mexB, and tnpA), which might be two principal mechanisms by which PN/A can resist TCS. In addition, functional bacteria carrying multiple RGs also contributed to the maintenance of PN/A system function. These findings improved the understandings of antimicrobial effects on the PN/A system. | 2022 | 34954146 |
| 7840 | 9 | 0.9992 | Ferrate(VI) promotes inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and chlorine-resistant bacteria in water. The increasing problem of antibiotic resistance has garnered significant global attention. As a novel water treatment agent with strong oxidizing, disinfecting, and bactericidal properties, ferrate(VI) holds promise for inactivating antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and chlorine-resistant bacteria. The results showed that complete inactivation of ARB (10⁵ CFU/mL) was achieved when the ferrate(VI) concentration was 10 μM and the treatment duration was 5 min. For higher concentrations of ARB (10(8) CFU/mL), it was also possible to reduce the concentration by 1.73 log units. The concentration of Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 was also reduced by 1.77 log units. Additionally, the absolute abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), including aphA, bla(TEM), and tetA, was significantly reduced. Ferrate(VI) was rapidly consumed in the early stages of treatment, undergoing a stepwise reduction process that generated high-valent Fe intermediates and reactive oxygen species (ROS), both of which contributed to bacterial inactivation. Throughout the reaction, •O(2)(-) played a dominant role in bacterial inactivation, with H₂O₂ acting synergistically and •OH contributing at later stages, leading to ROS overload, severe cellular damage, and enhanced membrane disruption. This study confirmed that ferrate(VI) could effectively inactivate ARB and chlorine-tolerant bacteria, and reduce the abundances of ARGs. | 2025 | 40245720 |
| 7845 | 10 | 0.9992 | Mechanism and potential risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria carrying last resort antibiotic resistance genes under electrochemical treatment. The significant rise in the number of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) that resulted from our abuse of antibiotics could do severe harm to public health as well as to the environment. We investigated removal efficiency and removal mechanism of electrochemical (EC) treatment based on 6 different bacteria isolated from hospital wastewater carrying 3 last resort ARGs including NDM-1, mcr-1 and tetX respectively. We found that the removal efficiency of ARGs increased with the increase of both voltage and electrolysis time while the maximum removal efficiency can reach 90%. The optimal treatment voltage and treatment time were 3 V and 120 min, respectively. Temperature, pH and other factors had little influence on the EC treatment process. The mechanism of EC treatment was explored from the macroscopic and microscopic levels by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and flow cytometry. Our results showed that EC treatment significantly changed the permeability of cell membrane and caused cells successively experience early cell apoptosis, late cell apoptosis and cell necrosis. Moreover, compared with traditional disinfection methods, EC treatment had less potential risks. The conjugative transfer frequencies of cells were significantly reduced after treatment. Less than 1% of bacteria entered the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state and less than 5% of intracellular ARGs (iARGs) turned into extracellular ARGs (eARGs). Our findings provide new insights into as well as important reference for future electrochemical treatment in removing ARB from hospital wastewater. | 2022 | 35085630 |
| 7970 | 11 | 0.9992 | Environmental micro-molar H(2)O(2) reduces the efficiency of glyphosate biodegradation in soil. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used pesticides globally. The environmental micro-molar hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-driven Fenton reaction has been reported to degrade herbicides in natural water. However, the impact of micro-molar H(2)O(2) (50 μM) on the degradation of glyphosate in soil and glyphosate-degrading bacteria remains unclear. In this study, degradation of glyphosate in the sterilized and unsterilized soil system and MSM medium under micro-molar H(2)O(2) was investigated; bacterial diversity, enzyme activity and gene abundance in the soil following micro-molar H(2)O(2) addition were also investigated. The results indicated that the addition of micro-molar H(2)O(2) facilitated the degradation of glyphosate in a sterilized environment, resulting in a 76.30% decrease in glyphosate within 30 days. The degradation of glyphosate increased by 52.32% compared to the control treatment. However, in an unsterilized environment, the addition of micro-molar H(2)O(2) leads to a reduction in the biodegradation efficiency of glyphosate. Bacteria, enzymes and specific genes were found to be affected to varying degrees. Firstly, micro-molar H(2)O(2) affects the relative abundance of functional bacteria related to glyphosate degradation, such as Afipia, Microcoleus and Pseudomonas. Secondly, micro-molar H(2)O(2) resulted in a decrease in soil phosphatase activity. Thirdly, the expression of resistance genes was affected, particularly the glyphosate resistance gene aroA. The findings presented a novel research perspective on the degradation of soil glyphosate by micro-molar H(2)O(2). | 2024 | 39307340 |
| 8499 | 12 | 0.9992 | Inhibited conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in antibiotic resistant bacteria by surface plasma. Antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and resistance genes (ARGs) are emerging environmental pollutants with strong pathogenicity. In this study, surface plasma was developed to inactivate the donor ARB with Escherichia coli (AR E. coli) as a model, eliminate ARGs, and inhibit conjugative transfer of ARGs in water, highlighting the influences of concomitant inorganic ions. Surface plasma oxidation significantly inactivated AR E. coli, eliminated ARGs, and inhibited conjugative transfer of ARGs, and the presence of NO(3)(-), Cu(2+), and Fe(2+) all promoted these processes, and SO(4)(2-) did not have distinct effect. Approximately 4.5log AR E. coli was inactivated within 10 min treatment, and it increased to 7.4log AR E. coli after adding Fe(2+). Integrons intI1 decreased by 3.10log (without Fe(2+)) and 4.43log (adding Fe(2+)); the addition of Fe(2+) in the surface plasma induced 99.8% decline in the conjugative transfer frequency. The inhibition effects on the conjugative transfer of ARGs were mainly attributed to the reduced reactive oxygen species levels, decreased DNA damage-induced response, decreased intercellular contact, and down-regulated expression of plasmid transfer genes. This study disclosed underlying mechanisms for inhibiting ARGs transfer, and supplied a prospective technique for ARGs control. | 2021 | 34536683 |
| 6764 | 13 | 0.9992 | Chlorine disinfection promotes the exchange of antibiotic resistance genes across bacterial genera by natural transformation. Chlorine disinfection to drinking water plays an important role in preventing and controlling waterborne disease outbreaks globally. Nevertheless, little is known about why it enriches the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in bacteria after chlorination. Here, ARGs released from killed antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), and culturable chlorine-injured bacteria produced in the chlorination process as the recipient, were investigated to determine their contribution to the horizontal transfer of ARGs during disinfection treatment. We discovered Escherichia coli, Salmonella aberdeen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis showed diverse resistance to sodium hypochlorite, and transferable RP4 could be released from killed sensitive donor consistently. Meanwhile, the survival of chlorine-tolerant injured bacteria with enhanced cell membrane permeabilisation and a strong oxidative stress-response demonstrated that a physiologically competent cell could be transferred by RP4 with an improved transformation frequency of up to 550 times compared with the corresponding untreated bacteria. Furthermore, the water quality factors involving chemical oxygen demand (COD(Mn)), ammonium nitrogen and metal ions (Ca(2+) and K(+)) could significantly promote above transformation frequency of released RP4 into injured E. faecalis. Our findings demonstrated that the chlorination process promoted the horizontal transfer of plasmids by natural transformation, which resulted in the exchange of ARGs across bacterial genera and the emergence of new ARB, as well as the transfer of chlorine-injured opportunistic pathogen from non-ARB to ARB. Considering that the transfer elements were quite resistant to degradation through disinfection, this situation poses a potential risk to public health. | 2020 | 32327733 |
| 7981 | 14 | 0.9991 | Dissolved biochar eliminates the effect of Cu(II) on the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria. The proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has posed significant risks to human and environmental health. Research has confirmed that Cu(II) could accelerate the conjugative transfer of ARGs between bacteria. This study found that adding dissolved biochar effectively weakened or eliminated the Cu(II)-facilitated efficient transfer of ARGs. The efficiency of conjugative transfer was promoted after treatment with Cu(II) (0.05 mg/L) or dissolved biochar at a pyrolysis temperature of 300 °C. When exposed to the combination of Cu(II) and dissolved biochar, the transfer frequency was significantly reduced; this occurred regardless of the Cu(II) concentration or pyrolysis temperature of dissolved biochar. In particular, when the Cu(II) concentration exceeded 0.5 mg/L, the transfer efficiency was entirely inhibited. Gene expression analysis indicated that different treatments affect transfer efficiency by regulating the expression of three global regulatory genes: korA, korB, and trbA. Among them, humic acid repressed the expression of these genes; however, Cu(II) formed complex with the humic acid-like components, gradually weakening the inhibitive effect of these components. The promotion of low molecule organic matters dominated, resulting in a dynamic decline in the transfer efficiency. This study provides a new environmental contaminant treatment approach to eliminate the heavy metal-facilitated transfer of ARGs between bacteria. | 2022 | 34583164 |
| 8494 | 15 | 0.9991 | Biochar effectively inhibits the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes via transformation. The rapid spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has posed a risk to human health. Here, the effects of biochar (BC) on the horizontal transfer of ARG-carrying plasmids to Escherichia coli via transformation were systematically investigated. BC could significantly inhibit the transformation of ARGs and the inhibition degree increased with pyrolysis temperature. Rice straw-derived BC showed a stronger inhibitory effect on the transformation of ARGs than that of peanut shell-derived BC from the same pyrolysis temperature. The inhibitory effect of BC from low pyrolysis temperature (300 ℃) was mainly caused by BC dissolutions, while it was mainly attributed to BC solids for high pyrolysis temperature (700 ℃) BC. BC dissolutions could induce intramolecular condensation and even agglomeration of plasmids, hindering their transformation into competent bacteria. The cell membrane permeability was slightly decreased in BC dissolutions, which might also contribute to the inhibitory effect. Plasmid can be adsorbed by BC solids and the adsorption increased with BC pyrolysis temperature. Meanwhile, BC-adsorbed plasmid could hardly be transformed into E. coli. BC solids could also deactivate E. coli and thereby inhibit their uptake of ARGs. These findings provide a way using BC to limit the spread of ARGs in the environment. | 2022 | 34530277 |
| 7969 | 16 | 0.9991 | Metagenomic insights into the influence of pH on antibiotic removal and antibiotic resistance during nitritation: Regulations on functional genus and genes. The changes in pH and the resulting presence of free nitrous acid (FNA) or free ammonia (FA) often inhibit antibiotic biodegradation during nitritation. However, the specific mechanisms through which pH, FNA and FA influence antibiotic removal and the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are not yet fully understood. In this study, the effects of pH, FNA, and FA on the removal of cefalexin and amoxicillin during nitritation were investigated. The results revealed that the decreased antibiotic removal under both acidic condition (pH 4.5) and alkaline condition (pH 9.5) was due to the inhibition of the expression of amoA in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and functional genes (hydrolase-encoding genes, transferase-encoding genes, lyase-encoding genes, and oxidoreductase-encoding genes) in heterotrophs. Furthermore, acidity was the primary inhibitor of antibiotic removal at pH 4.5, followed by FNA. Antibiotic removal was primarily inhibited by alkalinity at pH 9.5, followed by FA. The proliferation of ARGs mediated by mobile genetic element was promoted under both acidic and alkaline conditions, attributed to the promotion of FNA and FA, respectively. Overall, this study highlights the inhibitory effects of acidity and alkalinity on antibiotic removal during nitritation. | 2024 | 39068965 |
| 7938 | 17 | 0.9991 | Temporal dynamics of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge upon exposure to starvation. The activated sludge represents a huge reservoir for antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Owing to the wastewater fluctuation, annual maintenance and storage requirement, the activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may suffer from substrate deficiency (i.e., starvation). Whereas the starvation has been confirmed to regulate the antibiotic resistance in numerous pure bacteria, its impacts on the antibiotic resistance in activated sludge remain unclear. Here, the dynamics of sulfonamide and tetracycline ARB and corresponding ARGs in three forms including intracellular ARGs (iARGs), adsorbed extracellular ARGs (aeARGs) and free extracellular ARGs (feARGs) in activated sludge upon exposure to starvation were investigated. The results showed that, among the different electron donors (i.e., carbon, nitrogen and phosphate), carbon starvation could effectively reduce the absolute abundance of ARB and aeARGs by up to 1.68 lgs and 2.62 lgs, respectively, and released a small amount of feARGs in wastewater with the maximum value of 1.1 × 10(5) copies/mL due to the high degree of sludge cell lysis and DNA adsorption/degradation. For the different acceptor conditions (that is, alternating anaerobic-aerobic, anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic), the anaerobic-aerobic starvation obviously mitigated the absolute abundance of ARB, aeARGs and iARGs by 0.71 lgs, 3.41 lgs and 1.35 lgs, respectively, via the substantial sludge cell lysis and DNA degradation. These findings demonstrated the response patterns and mechanisms of bacterial resistance in activated sludge to starvation stress, and thus provide clues to control the risk of antibiotic resistance in WWTPs by the starvation strategy. | 2022 | 35690205 |
| 7569 | 18 | 0.9991 | Simultaneous elimination of amoxicillin and antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge process: Contributions of easy-to-biodegrade food. Antibiotics are continuously released into aquatic environments and ecosystems where they accumulate, which increases risks from the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, it is difficult to completely remove antibiotics by conventional biological methods, and during such treatment, ARGs may spread via the activated sludge process. Easy-to-biodegrade food have been reported to improve the removal of toxic pollutants, and therefore, this study investigated whether such co-substrates may also decrease the abundance of ARGs and their transferal. This study investigated amoxicillin (AMO) degradation using 0-100 mg/L acetate sodium as co-substrate in a sequencing biological reactor. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were identified as dominant phyla for AMO removal and mineralization. Furthermore, acetate addition increased the abundances of adeF and mdsC as efflux resistance genes, which improved microbial resistance, the coping ability of AMO toxicity, and the repair of the damage from AMO. As a result, acetate addition contributed to almost 100% AMO removal and stabilized the chemical oxygen demand (~20 mg/L) in effluents when the influent AMO fluctuated from 20 to 100 mg/L. Moreover, the total abundance of ARGs decreased by approximately ~30%, and the proportion of the most dominant antibiotic resistance bacteria Proteobacteria decreased by ~9%. The total abundance of plasmids that encode ARGs decreased by as much as ~30%, implying that the ARG spreading risks were alleviated. In summary, easy-to-biodegrade food contributed to the simultaneous elimination of antibiotics and ARGs in an activated sludge process. | 2021 | 33757248 |
| 8493 | 19 | 0.9991 | Effects and mechanisms of plant growth regulators on horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes through plasmid-mediated conjugation. A vast number of bacteria occur in both soil and plants, with some of them harboring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). When bacteria congregate on the interface of soil particles or on plant root surfaces, these ARGs can be transferred between bacteria via conjugation, leading to the formation of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that threaten human health. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are widely used in agricultural production, promoting plant growth and increasing crop yields. However, until now, little information has been known about the effects of PGRs on the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs. In this study, with Escherichia coli DH5α (carrying RP4 plasmid with Tet(R), Amp(R), Kan(R)) as the donor and E. coli HB101 as the recipient, a series of diparental conjugation experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of indoleacetic acid (IAA), ethel (ETH) and gibberellin (GA(3)) on HGT of ARGs via plasmid-mediated conjugation. Furthermore, the mechanisms involved were also clarified. The results showed that all three PGRs affected the ARG transfer frequency by inducing the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, changing the cell membrane permeability, and regulating the gene transcription of traA, traL, trfAp, trbBp, kilA, and korA in plasmid RP4. In detail, 50-100 mg⋅L(-1) IAA, 20-50 mg⋅L(-1) ETH and 1500-2500 mg⋅L(-1) GA(3) all significantly promoted the ARG conjugation. This study indicated that widespread use of PGRs in agricultural production could affect the HGT of ARGs via plasmid-mediated conjugation, and the application of reasonable concentrations of PGRs could reduce the ARG transmission in both soil environments and plants. | 2023 | 36720410 |