# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 8045 | 0 | 1.0000 | Correlation among extracellular polymeric substances, tetracycline resistant bacteria and tetracycline resistance genes under trace tetracycline. Antibiotic resistance occurrences and proliferation in activated sludge have attracted more and more attention nowadays. However, the role which extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) plays on the antibiotic resistance is not clear. The changes and correlation among EPS, tetracycline (TC) resistant bacteria (TRB) and TC resistance genes (TRGs) of sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were investigated. Performance of SBR without TC was compared with two other SBRs to which different amounts of TC were added. Total average EPS contents were found to increase significantly from 66 mg g−1 VSS to 181 mg g−1 VSS as the TC concentrations increased from 0 to 100 μg L−1. As the EPS content increased, TRB in sludge of the three SBRs increased significantly from 105 to 106 colony forming unit mL−1 after being exposed to TC. In addition, the concentrations of three groups of TRGs (copies mL−1) were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction and followed the order: efflux pump genes > ribosome protected genes > degradation enzyme genes. The numbers of TRGs in the idle stage were larger than those in the aeration sludge. Correlation coefficients (R2) between EPS and TRB in sludge were 0.823 (p < 0.01) while the correlation between EPS and total TRGs was poor (R2 = 0.463, p > 0.05). But it showed the same tendency that EPS and TRGs in sludge increased with the increasing of TC. | 2014 | 25461932 |
| 8018 | 1 | 0.9998 | Analysis for microbial denitrification and antibiotic resistance during anaerobic digestion of cattle manure containing antibiotic. This study investigated the effects of tylosin (0, 10, and 100 mg/kg dry weight) on the denitrification genes and microbial community during the anaerobic digestion of cattle manure. N(2) emissions were reduced and N(2)O emissions were increased by 10 mg/kg tylosin. Adding 100 mg/kg tylosin increased the emission of both N(2)O and N(2). The different responses of denitrifying bacteria and genes to tylosin may have been due to the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Network analysis indicated that denitrification genes and ARGs had the same potential host bacteria. intI1 was more important for the horizontal transfer of denitrification genes and ARGs during anaerobic digestion than intI2. The anaerobic digestion of manure containing tylosin may increase nitrogen losses and the associated ecological risk. | 2019 | 31326686 |
| 7795 | 2 | 0.9997 | Factors influencing the removal of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes by the electrokinetic treatment. The performance of the electrokinetic remediation process on the removal of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was evaluated with different influencing factors. With chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and tetracycline (TC) as template chemicals, the removal of both ARB and ARGs was enhanced with the increase of voltage gradient (0.4-1.2 V cm(-1)) and prolonged reaction time (3-14 d). The greatest removal (26.01-31.48% for ARB, 37.93-83.10% for ARGs) was obtained applying a voltage of 1.2 V cm(-1), leading to the highest electrical consumption. The effect of polarity reversal intervals on the inactivation ratio of ARB followed the order of 0 h (66.06-80.00%) > 12 h (17.07-24.75%) > 24 h (10.44-13.93%). Lower pH, higher current density, and more evenly-distributed voltage drop was observed with a polarity reversal interval of 12 h compared with that of 24 h, leading to more efficient electrochemical reactions in soil. Compared with sul genes, tet genes were more vulnerable to be attacked in an electric field. It was mainly attributed to the lower abundance of tet genes (except tetM) and the varied effects of electrokinetic remediation process on different ARGs. Moreover, a relatively less removal ratio of tetC and tetG was obtained mainly due to the mechanism of the efflux pump upregulation. Both tet and sul genes were positively correlated with TC-resistant bacteria. The efflux pump genes like tetG and the cellular protection genes like tetM showed different correlations with ARB. This study enhances the current understanding on the removal strategies of ARB and ARGs, and it provides important parameters for their destruction by the electrokinetic treatment. | 2018 | 29807293 |
| 8042 | 3 | 0.9997 | Algal-bacterial consortium mediated system offers effective removal of nitrogen nutrients and antibiotic resistance genes. The sulfonamide antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) especially sul1 was identified as the dominant in eutrophic water. The performance of Chlorella vulgaris-B. licheniformis consortium toward sul1 removal, total nitrogen (TN) removal, and the mechanism of sul1 removal was investigated. The removal efficiency of exogenous ARGs plasmids carrying sul1 reached (97.2 ± 2.3)%. The TN removal rate reached (98.5 ± 1.2)%. The enhancements of carbon metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and glycoproteins had significant influences on sul1 and TN removals, under the premise of normal growth of algae and bacteria. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results suggested that the absolute abundances of sul1 were low in algal-bacterial systems (0 gene copies/mL) compared with individual systems ((1 × 10(6) ± 15) gene copies/mL). The duplication of sul1 was inhibited in algal cells and bacterial cells. The algal-bacterial consortium seems to be a promising technology for wastewater treatment with a potential to overcome the eutrophication and ARGs challenges. | 2022 | 36049708 |
| 7192 | 4 | 0.9997 | Sulfamethoxazole and COD increase abundance of sulfonamide resistance genes and change bacterial community structures within sequencing batch reactors. The abundant microbial community in biological treatment processes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may potentially enhance the horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance genes with the presence of antibiotics. A lab-scale sequencing batch reactor was designed to investigate response of sulfonamide resistance genes (sulI, sulII) and bacterial communities to various concentrations of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of wastewater. The SMX concentrations (0.001 mg/L, 0.1 mg/L and 10 mg/L) decreased with treatment time and higher SMX level was more difficult to remove. The presence of SMX also significantly reduced the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen, affecting the normal function of WWTPs. All three concentrations of SMX raised both sulI and sulII genes with higher concentrations exhibiting greater increases. The abundance of sul genes was positive correlated with treatment time and followed the second-order reaction kinetic model. Interestingly, these two genes have rather similar activity. SulI and sulII gene abundance also performed similar response to COD. Simpson index and Shannon-Weiner index did not show changes in the microbial community diversity. However, the 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing results showed the bacterial community structures varied during different stages. The results demonstrated that influent antibiotics into WWTPs may facilitate selection of ARGs and affect the wastewater conventional treatment as well as the bacteria community structures. | 2017 | 28211331 |
| 7961 | 5 | 0.9997 | Effect of tetracycline on ammonia and carbon removal by the facultative bacteria in the anaerobic digester of a sewage treatment plant. This study was conducted to see the effect of tetracycline on nitrogen assimilation and carbon removal in an anaerobic digester of a sewage plant. Samples of sewage were collected from an anaerobic digester sludge. Consortium of nitrogen assimilating bacteria were isolated from the sample and its ability to assimilate ammonia at different concentrations of tetracycline was measured along with carbon removal. The results indicate that while high concentrations of tetracycline of more than 100 mg/L delayed the growth of the bacteria, the resistant bacteria grew after a lag period and the removal of nitrogen and carbon was unaffected even at the highest tetracycline concentration of 250 mg/L tested in this study. | 2018 | 30025323 |
| 8046 | 6 | 0.9997 | Responses of aerobic granular sludge to fluoroquinolones: Microbial community variations, and antibiotic resistance genes. In this study, aerobic granular sludge (AGS) was operated under high levels of ammonium for removing three fluoroquinolones (FQs), i.e., ciprofloxacin (CFX), ofloxacin (OFX), and norfloxacin (NFX) at 3, 300, and 900 µg/L, respectively. Two key objectives were to investigate the differential distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in sludge fractions and to evaluate correlations between ARGs and MGEs to nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. AGS showed excellent stability under the exposure of FQs, with nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) more sensitive to FQs than ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Specific oxygen utilization rates (SOUR) showed a reduction of 26.9% for NOB but only 4.0% of the reduced activity of AOB by 3 μg/L FQs. AGS performed better removal efficiencies for CFX and NFX than OFX, and the efficiencies increased with their elevated concentrations, except at 900 μg/L FQs. The elevated FQ concentrations led to a significant enrichment of intI1 and genus Thauera, while qnrD and qnrS showed no accumulation. Compared to nitrifiers, FQs relevant ARGs and the intI1 gene preferred to exist in denitrifiers, and the abundance of denitrifiers behaved a decreasing trend with the sludge size. Two quinoline-degrading bacteria were found in the AGS system, i.e., Alicycliphilus and Brevundimonas, possibly carrying qnrS and qnrD, respectively. Their relative abundance increased with the sludge size, which was 2.18% in sludge <0.5 mm and increased to 3.70% in sludge >2.0 mm, suggesting that the AGS may be a good choice in treating FQs-containing wastewater. | 2021 | 33676249 |
| 7963 | 7 | 0.9997 | Distribution of tetracycline resistance genes in anaerobic treatment of waste sludge: The role of pH in regulating tetracycline resistant bacteria and horizontal gene transfer. Although pH value has been widely regarded as an important factor that affects resource recovery of waste sludge, the potential influence of diverse pHs on the distribution of tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs) during sludge anaerobic treatment is largely unknown. Here we reported that in the range of pH 4-10, 0.58-1.18 log unit increase of target TRGs was observed at pH 4, compared with that at pH 7, while 0.70-1.31 log unit further removal were obtained at pH 10. Mechanism study revealed that varied pHs not only altered the community structures of tetracycline resistant bacteria (TRB), but also changed their relative abundances, benefitting the propagation (acidic pHs) or attenuation (alkaline pHs) of TRB. Further investigation indicated that the amount and gene-possessing abilities of key genetic vectors for horizontal TRGs transfer were greatly promoted at acidic pHs but restricted under alkaline conditions. | 2016 | 27485281 |
| 8035 | 8 | 0.9997 | Effects of hydrothermal treatment on the reduction of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli and antibiotic resistance genes and the fertilizer potential of liquid product from cattle manure. In this study, the reduction in the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the fertilizer potential of liquid products from hydrothermally treated cattle manure were investigated. Hydrothermal treatment (HTT) was conducted under different reaction temperatures (125, 150, 175 and 200 °C) and retention times (60, 90 and 120 min). The total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) of the liquid product increased with increasing reaction temperature. The germination index (GI), a measure of the percentage of germination, exceeded 90 % at 125, 150, and 175 °C in diluted samples, while it decreased to 18 % at 200 °C. Although a longer retention time contributed to an increase in TOC of liquid products, it did not increase the GI values. The liquid product should be diluted or adjusted before use as fertilizer to prevent phytotoxicity. In our analysis of ARB and ARGs, E. coli and antibiotic-resistant E. coli were completely reduced after HTT, except for the operating conditions of 125 °C and 60 min. Although both a higher reaction temperature and longer retention time tended to be better for the reduction of ARGs and intI1, it was found that the longer retention time is much more effective than the higher reaction temperature. The reduction of target ARGs and intI1 was 2.9-log under175 °C and 120 min. Comprehensively considering the fertilizer potential of liquid product and the reduction of ARB and ARGs, 175 °C of reaction temperature and 120 min of retention time of operating conditions for HTT were recommended. | 2024 | 38744164 |
| 7964 | 9 | 0.9997 | Fate of sulfonamide resistance genes during sludge anaerobic fermentation: Roles of sludge components and fermentation pHs. This study assessed potential effects of two neglected factors (sludge components and pH values) on the fate of sulfonamide (sul) resistance genes during sludge anaerobic fermentation. It was found that sludge with different contents of protein, carbohydrate and humic acid caused no significant changes in the abundances of sul genes. Nevertheless, sul genes were sensitive to pHs (4-10), and the maximum attenuations (0.8-1.1 log unit) were obtained at pH 10. Mechanism exploration indicated that pHs drove the community evolution of sulfonamide resistant bacteria (SRB), most of which were affiliated to the pH-enriched phyla but not the pH-enriched dominant genera. In addition, the relative abundances of SRB were decreased under both acidic and alkaline conditions. Furthermore, the abundances of intI 1 as well as the sul-carrying abilities of plasmid and extracellular DNA were all reduced at test pHs, indicating that the potential of horizontal gene transfer among bacteria was restricted. | 2019 | 31226672 |
| 7193 | 10 | 0.9997 | Plasmid-mediated transfer of antibiotic resistance genes and biofilm formation in a simulated drinking water distribution system under chlorine pressure. The effects of disinfectants and plasmid-based antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) on the growth of microorganisms and the plasmid-mediated transfer of ARGs in the water and biofilm of the drinking water distribution system under simulated conditions were explored. The heterotrophic plate count of the water in reactors with 0.1 mg/L NaClO and NH(2)Cl was higher than in the control groups. There was no similar phenomenon in biofilm. In the water of reactors containing NaClO, the aphA and bla genes were lower than in the antibiotic resistant bacteria group, while both genes were higher in the water of reactors with NH(2)Cl than in the control group. Chloramine may promote the transfer of ARGs in the water phase. Both genes in the biofilm of the reactors containing chlorine were lower than the control group. Correlation analysis between ARGs and water quality parameters revealed that the copy numbers of the aphA gene were significantly positively correlated with the copy numbers of the bla gene in water and significantly negatively correlated in biofilm (p < 0.05). The results of the sequencing assay showed that bacteria in the biofilm, in the presence of disinfectant, were primarily Gram-negative. 1.0 mg/L chlorine decreased the diversity of the community in the biofilm. The relative abundance of some bacteria that may undergo transfer increased in the biofilm of the reactor containing 0.1 mg/L chlorine. | 2025 | 39617560 |
| 7794 | 11 | 0.9997 | Fate of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes during wastewater chlorination: implication for antibiotic resistance control. This study investigated fates of nine antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well as two series of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treated by various doses of chlorine (0, 15, 30, 60, 150 and 300 mg Cl2 min/L). The results indicated that chlorination was effective in inactivating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Most bacteria were inactivated completely at the lowest dose (15 mg Cl2 min/L). By comparison, sulfadiazine- and erythromycin-resistant bacteria exhibited tolerance to low chlorine dose (up to 60 mg Cl2 min/L). However, quantitative real-time PCRs revealed that chlorination decreased limited erythromycin or tetracycline resistance genes, with the removal levels of overall erythromycin and tetracycline resistance genes at 0.42 ± 0.12 log and 0.10 ± 0.02 log, respectively. About 40% of erythromycin-resistance genes and 80% of tetracycline resistance genes could not be removed by chlorination. Chlorination was considered not effective in controlling antimicrobial resistance. More concern needs to be paid to the potential risk of antibiotic resistance genes in the wastewater after chlorination. | 2015 | 25738838 |
| 7960 | 12 | 0.9997 | Diversity evolution of functional bacteria and resistance genes (CzcA) in aerobic activated sludge under Cd(II) stress. An activated sludge sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was used to treat divalent cadmium (Cd(II)) wastewater for 60 d to investigate the overall treatment performance, evolution of the bacterial community, and abundance of the Cd(II) resistance gene CzcA and shifts in its potential host bacteria. During stable operation with a Cd(II) concentration of 20 mg/L, the average removal efficiencies of Cd(II) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were more than 85% and that of total phosphorus was greater than 70%, while the total nitrogen (TN) was only about 45%. The protein (PN) content in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) increased significantly after Cd(II) addition, while polysaccharides displayed a decreasing trend (p < 0.05), indicating that EPS prefer to release PN to adsorb Cd(II) and protect bacteria from damage. Three-dimensional fluorescence spectral analysis showed that fulvic acid-like substances were the most abundant chemical components of EPS. The addition of Cd(II) adversely affected most denitrifying bacteria (p < 0.05), which is consistent with the low TN removal. In addition, quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that CzcA gene abundance decreased as the Cd(II) concentration increased, possibly because expression of the CzcA gene was inhibited by Cd(II) stress. The majority of CzcA gene sequences were carried by Pseudomonas, making it the dominant genus among Cd(II)-resistant bacteria. | 2019 | 31514000 |
| 8036 | 13 | 0.9997 | Abundances of Tetracycline Resistance Genes and Tetracycline Antibiotics during Anaerobic Digestion of Swine Waste. The impact of anaerobic digestion of animal waste on the persistence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotics is not widely studied. Two identical, 800-L digesters seeded with swine slurry were followed up to 100 d in three separate trials. The trials received varying amounts of antibiotic-free corn ( L.) mixed with water to maintain the digestion process. Biogas production, seven tetracycline resistance () genes, and three tetracyclines and their transformation products were measured. Biogas production proportionally increased as the feeding loads increased between trials. In Trial 1, log gene copies showed small but statistically significant ( < 0.01) increases during digestion. In Trial 2, anaerobic digestion did not have a significant ( > 0.05) effect except for significant reductions in B ( < 0.0001) and G ( = 0.0335) log gene copies. In Trial 3, which received the highest amount of corn mix, log copies of the 16S ribosomal RNA and the genes significantly ( < 0.0001) reduced over time during digestion. Up to 36 μg L tetracycline, 112 μg L chlortetracycline, 11.9 mg L isochlortetracycline, and 30 μg L 4-epitetracycline were detected both in the liquid and solid digestates. Results of this study revealed that although anaerobic digestion of swine waste can produce useful biogas, it does not result in complete removal of bacteria, ARGs, and antibiotics regardless of differences in the feeding loads between trials. Further effluent and sludge treatments are required prior to their downstream use in crop production to minimize emergence and environmental dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria through animal manure. | 2019 | 30640349 |
| 8044 | 14 | 0.9997 | Effect of tetracycline on nitrogen removal in Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) System. The effect of tetracycline (TC) on nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment plants has become a new problem. This study investigated the effects of TC on nitrogen removal using a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor system. The results showed that there was no significant effect on nitrogen removal performance when the concentration of TC was 5 mg/L, and that the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency could reach 75-77%. However, when the concentration of TC increased to 10 mg/L, the denitrification performance was affected and the TN removal efficiency decreased to 58%. The abundance of denitrifying bacteria such as those in the genus Thauera decreased, and TC-resistant bacteria gradually became dominant. At a TC concentration of 10 mg/L, there were also increases and decreases, respectively, in the abundance of resistance and denitrification functional genes. The inhibitory effect of TC on denitrification was achieved mainly by the inhibition of nitrite-reducing bacteria. | 2022 | 35007308 |
| 8092 | 15 | 0.9997 | Effect of pH on the mitigation of extracellular/intracellular antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistance pathogenic bacteria during anaerobic fermentation of swine manure. Effects of various initial pH values (i.e., 3, 5, 7, 11) during anaerobic fermentation of swine manure on intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (iARGs and eARGs) and ARG-carrying potential microbial hosts were investigated. The abundance of almost all iARGs and eARGs decreased by 0.1-1.7 logs at pH 3 and pH 5. The abundance of only three iARGs and eARGs decreased by 0.1-0.9 logs at pH 7 and pH 11. Under acidic initial fermentation conditions (pH 3 and pH 5), the ARG removal effect was more pronounced. Acidic conditions (pH 3 and pH 5) significantly reduced the diversity and abundance of the microbial community, thereby eliminating many potential ARG hosts and antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria (ARPB). Therefore, the study results contribute to the investigation of the effects of swine manure anaerobic fermentation on the removal and risk of contamination of ARGs and ARPB. | 2023 | 36746211 |
| 8019 | 16 | 0.9997 | In-feed antibiotic use changed the behaviors of oxytetracycline, sulfamerazine, and ciprofloxacin and related antibiotic resistance genes during swine manure composting. The dynamics of oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfamerazine (SM1), ciprofloxacin (CIP) and related antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during swine manure composting were compared between manure collected from swine fed a diet containing these three antibiotics (T(D)) and manure directly spiked with these drugs (T(S)). The composting removal efficiency of OTC (94.9 %) and CIP (87.8 %) in the T(D) treatment was significantly higher than that of OTC (83.8 %, P < 0.01) and CIP (83.9 %, P < 0.05) in the T(S) treatment, while SM1 exhibited no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the two treatments. Composting effectively reduced the majority of ARGs in both T(D) and T(S) types of manure, especially tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs). Compared with the T(S) treatment, the abundance of some ARGs, such as tetG, qepA, sul1 and sul2, increased dramatically up to 309-fold in the T(D) treatment. The microbial composition of the composting system changed significantly during composting due to antibiotic feeding. Redundancy analysis suggested that the abundance of ARGs had a considerable impact on alterations in the physicochemical parameters (C/N, pH and temperature) and bacterial communities (Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes) during the composting of swine manure. | 2021 | 33254754 |
| 7596 | 17 | 0.9997 | The impact and fate of clarithromycin in anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge for biogas production. Clarithromycin retained in waste activated sludge (WAS) inevitably enters the anaerobic digestion system. So far, the complex impacts and fate of clarithromycin in continuous operated WAS anaerobic digestion system are still unclear. In this study, two semi-continuous long-term reactors were set up to investigate the effect of clarithromycin on biogas production and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during WAS anaerobic digestion, and a batch test was carried out to explore the potential metabolic mechanism. Experimental results showed that clarithromycin at lower concentrations (i.e., 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L) did not affect biogas production, whereas the decrease in biogas production was observed when the concentration of clarithromycin was further increased to 10 mg/L. Correspondingly, the relative abundance of functional bacteria in WAS anaerobic digestion (i.e., Anaerolineaceae and Microtrichales) was reduced with long-term clarithromycin exposure. The investigation of ARGs suggested that the effect of methylation belonging to the target site modification played a critical role for the anaerobic microorganisms in the expression of antibiotic resistance, and ermF, played dominated ARGs, presented the most remarkable proliferation. In comparison, the role of efflux pump was weakened with a significant decrease of two detected efflux genes. During WAS anaerobic digestion, clarithromycin could be partially degraded into metabolites with lower antimicrobial activity including oleandomycin and 5-O-desosaminyl-6-O-methylerythronolide and other metabolites without antimicrobial activity. | 2021 | 33545126 |
| 7959 | 18 | 0.9997 | Evolution of microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes in anammox process stressed by oxytetracycline and copper. The individual and combined impacts of copper ion (Cu(2+)) and oxytetracycline (OTC) on anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) performance and its self-recovery process were examined. Experimental results showed that the anammox performance and activity of anammox bacteria were inhibited by 1.0 mg L(-1) OTC, Cu(2+) and OTC + Cu(2+), and both single and combined inhibitions were reversible. The abundance of functional genes and parts of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were positively related to the dominant bacterium Ca. Kuenenia, implying that the recovery of the performance was associated with the progressive induction of potentially resistant species after inhibition. The above outcomes illustrated that anammox bacteria were stressed by metals and antibiotics, but they still could remove nitrogen at a rate higher than 20.6 ± 0.8 kg N m(-3) d(-1), providing guidance for engineering applications of anammox processes. | 2021 | 32949830 |
| 3522 | 19 | 0.9996 | Effect of trace tetracycline concentrations on the structure of a microbial community and the development of tetracycline resistance genes in sequencing batch reactors. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of different concentrations of tetracycline (TC) on the microbial community and development of tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs) of sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). Polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis of 16S rRNA and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to detect the structural changes of the microbial community and the variations of eight TC resistance genes tet(A), tet(B), tet(C), tet(E), tet(M), tet(O), tet(S) and tet(X), respectively. The results indicated that, trace TC could substantially change the structure of the microbial community. Bacteria which could not adapt to environment with TC were gradually replaced by those adapting to tetracycline. Shannon's diversity index (H) and Simpson's index (D) reached maximum values when the concentration of TC was 1 μg L(-1). The resistance genes in the activated sludge proliferated under the pressure of trace TC. | 2013 | 24140945 |