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678900.9386Metagenomic insights on promoting the removal of resistome in aerobic composting pig manure by lightly burned modified magnesite. The antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have become a serious issue facing public health. In this study, light-burned magnesite with a high specific surface area at 650 °C (MS650) was used for aerobic composting, evaluating its effect on the resistome during pig manure composting. Different concentrations of MS650 reduced the abundance of the resistome, including seven high-risk ARGs, class two metal and biocide resistance genes (MBRGs), and human pathogenic bacteria (HPBs). The addition of 2.5 % MS650 (L1) in the composting had the best reduction effect on ARGs, MBRGs and HPBs. ARG and microbial community assembly are deterministic processes. Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria was the main factor associated with the decrease in ARGs, followed by virulence factor genes (VFGs, 44.2 %). The reduction in MBRGs by MS650 mainly suppressed HGT by reducing the Isfinder abundance. To summarize, MS650 is an effective method to improve emission reduction of ARGs and MBRGs. This study provided a theoretical basis for improving the engineering application potential of MS650.202439490844
811710.9381Composting of oxytetracycline fermentation residue in combination with hydrothermal pretreatment for reducing antibiotic resistance genes enrichment. Hydrothermal pretreatment can efficiently remove the residual antibiotics in oxytetracycline fermentation residue (OFR), but its effect on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during composting remains unclear. This study compared the shifts in bacterial community and evolutions in ARGs and integrons during different composting processes of OFRs with and without hydrothermal pretreatment. The results demonstrated that hydrothermal pretreatment increased the bacterial alpha diversity at the initial phase, and increased the relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria but decreased that of Bacteroidetes at the final phase by inactivating mycelia and removing residual oxytetracycline. Composting process inevitably elevated the abundance and relative abundance of ARGs. However, the increase in ARGs was significantly reduced by hydrothermal pretreatment, because the removal of oxytetracycline decreased their potential host bacteria and inhibited their horizontal gene transfer. The results demonstrated that hydrothermal pretreatment is an efficient strategy to reduce the enrichment of ARGs during the OFR composting.202033099099
811120.9380Effect of alkaline-thermal pretreatment on biodegradable plastics degradation and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in co-compost system. Biodegradable plastics (BDPs) are an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastics in organic waste, but their microbial degradation and impact on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) transmission during co-composting remain poorly understood. This study examines how alkaline-thermal pretreatment enhances BDPs degradation and influences the fate of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in co-composting. Pretreatment with 0.1 mol/L NaOH at 100℃ for 40 minutes increased the surface roughness and hydrophilicity of BDPs while reducing their molecular weight and thermal stability. Incorporating pretreated BDPs film (8 g/kg-TS) into the compost reduced the molecular weight of the BDPs by 59.70 % during the maturation stage, facilitating compost heating and prolonging the thermophilic stage. However, incomplete degradation of BDPs releases numerous smaller-sized microplastics, which can act as carriers for microorganisms, facilitating the dissemination of ARGs across environments and posing significant ecological and public health risks. Metagenomic analysis revealed that pretreatment enriched plastic-degrading bacteria, such as Thermobifida fusca, on BDPs surfaces and accelerated microbial plastic degradation during the thermophilic stage, but also increased ARGs abundance. Although pretreatment significantly reduced MGEs abundance (tnpA, IS19), the risk of ARGs dissemination remained. Three plastic-degrading bacteria (Pigmentiphaga sp002188465, Bacillus clausii, and Bacillus altitudinis) were identified as ARGs hosts, underscoring the need to address the risk of horizontal gene transfer of ARGs associated with pretreatment in organic waste management.202539970645
811930.9376Biochar-amended composting of lincomycin fermentation dregs promoted microbial metabolism and reduced antibiotic resistance genes. Improper disposal of antibiotic fermentation dregs poses a risk of releasing antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria to the environment. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of biochar addition to lincomycin fermentation dregs (LFDs) composting. Biochar increased compost temperature and enhanced organic matter decomposition and residual antibiotics removal. Moreover, a 1.5- to 17.0-fold reduction in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) was observed. Adding biochar also reduced the abundances of persistent ARGs hosts (e.g., Streptomyces, Pseudomonas) and ARG-related metabolic pathways and genes (e.g., ATP-binding cassette type-2 transport, signal transduction and multidrug efflux pump genes). By contrast, compost decomposition improved due to enhanced metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids. Overall, adding biochar into LFDs compost reduced the proliferation of ARGs and enhanced microbial community metabolism. These results demonstrate that adding biochar to LFDs compost is a simple and efficient way to decrease risks associated with LFDs composting.202336334868
811240.9375Fate of antibiotic resistance bacteria and genes during enhanced anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge by microwave pretreatment. The fate of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were investigated during the sludge anaerobic digestion (AD) with microwave-acid (MW-H), microwave (MW) and microwave-H2O2-alkaline (MW-H2O2) pretreatments. Results showed that combined MW pretreatment especially for the MW-H pretreatment could efficiently reduce the ARB concentration, and most ARG concentrations tended to attenuate during the pretreatment. The subsequent AD showed evident removal of the ARB, but most ARGs were enriched after AD. Only the concentration of tetX kept continuous declination during the whole sludge treatment. The total ARGs concentration showed significant correlation with 16S rRNA during the pretreatment and AD. Compared with unpretreated sludge, the AD of MW and MW-H2O2 pretreated sludge presented slightly better ARB and ARGs reduction efficiency.201626970692
794050.9372Microplastics affect the ammonia oxidation performance of aerobic granular sludge and enrich the intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes. Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), as emerging pollutants, are frequently detected in wastewater treatment plants, and their threats to the environment have received extensive attentions. However, the effects of MPs on the nitrification of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and the spread patterns of intracellular and extracellular ARGs (iARGs and eARGs) in AGS were still unknown. In this study, the responses of AGS to the exposure of 1, 10 and 100 mg/L of typical MPs (polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE)) and tetracycline were focused on in 3 L nitrifying sequencing batch reactors. 10 mg/L MPs decreased the nitrification function, but nitrification could recover. Furthermore, MPs inhibited ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and enriched nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, leading partial nitrification to losing stability. PVC, PA and PS stimulated the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances and reactive oxygen species. PE had less negative effect on AGS than PVC, PA and PS. The abundances of iARGs and eARGs (tetW, tetE and intI1) increased significantly and the intracellular and extracellular microbial communities obviously shifted in AGS system under MPs stress. Potential pathogenic bacteria might be the common hosts of iARGs and eARGs in AGS system and were enriched in AGS and MPs biofilms.202133387747
812660.9367Antiallergic drugs drive the alteration of microbial community and antibiotic resistome in surface waters: A metagenomic perspective. Antiallergic drugs (AADs) are emerging contaminants of global concern due to their environmental persistence and potential ecological impacts. This study investigated the effects of seven AADs (chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, cetirizine, loratadine, desloratadine, sodium cromoglicate and calcium gluconate) at environmentally relevant concentrations on antibiotic resistome and bacterial community structures in water using microcosm experiments and metagenomic sequencing. The results showed that AADs increased the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) by 1.24- to 7.78-fold. Community structure shifts indicated that chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, and cetirizine promoted Actinobacteria (e.g., Aurantimicrobium), while the other four AADs favored Proteobacteria (e.g., Limnohabitans). AADs also significantly altered the relative abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria identified as key ARB components and potential hosts of ARGs (e.g., evgS, mtrA, RanA). Host analysis showed ARGs were primarily carried by Actinobacteria (e.g., Aurantimicrobium) under chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, and cetirizine exposure, but by Proteobacteria (e.g., Limnohabitans) under the other four AADs. Furthermore, AADs facilitated the horizontal transfer of ARGs (e.g., evgS) within microbial communities, contributing to antibiotic resistance dissemination. This study highlights the ecological risks of AADs in promoting antibiotic resistance spread and provides new insights into their impact on microbial communities and resistome dynamics in aquatic environments.202540570627
794170.9366Microplastics accelerate nitrification, shape the microbial community, and alter antibiotic resistance during the nitrifying process. Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are both emerging pollutants that are frequently detected in wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the effects of various MPs, including polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA), on nitrification performance, dominant microbial communities, and antibiotic resistance during nitrification were investigated. The results revealed that the addition of MPs increased the specific ammonia oxidation rate and specific nitrate production rate by 15.2 % - 15.5 % and 8.0 % - 11.6 %, respectively, via enrichment of nitrifying microorganisms, Nitrospira and Nitrosomonas. Moreover, ARGs were selectively enriched in nitrifying sludge and microplastic biofilms under stress from different MPs. Compared with PE-MPs (23.9 %) and PVC-MPs (21.4 %), exposure to PLA-MPs significantly increased intI1 abundance by 51.6 %. The results of the variance decomposition analysis implied that MPs and the microbial community play important roles in the behavior of ARGs. Network analysis indicated that Nitrosomonas and potentially pathogenic bacteria emerged as possible hosts, harboring ARGs and intI1 genes in the nitrifying sludge and microplastic biofilms. Critically, PLA-MPs were found to enrich both ARGs and potential pathogenic bacteria during nitrification, which should be considered in their promotion of application processes due to their biodegradability.202539740624
811580.9365Effects of reductive soil disinfestation on potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in soil. Reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) is commonly employed for soil remediation in greenhouse cultivation. However, its influence on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil remains uncertain. This study investigated the dynamic changes in soil communities, potential bacterial pathogens, and ARG profiles under various organic material treatments during RSD, including distillers' grains, potato peel, peanut vine, and peanut vine combined with charcoal. Results revealed that applying diverse organic materials in RSD significantly altered bacterial community composition and diminished the relative abundance of potential bacterial pathogens (P < 0.05). The relative abundance of high-risk ARGs decreased by 10.7%-30.6% after RSD treatments, the main decreased ARG subtypes were AAC(3)_Via, dfrA1, ErmB, lnuB, aadA. Actinobacteria was the primary host of ARGs and was suppressed by RSD. Soil physicochemical properties, such as total nitrogen, soil pH, total carbon, were crucial factors affecting ARG profiles. Our findings demonstrated that RSD treatment inhibited pathogenic bacteria and could be an option for reducing high-risk ARG proliferation in soil.202539306413
810590.9365Refluxing mature compost to replace bulking agents: A low-cost solution for suppressing antibiotic resistance genes rebound in sewage sludge composting. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) rebounding during composting cooling phase is a critical bottleneck in composting technology that increased ARGs dissemination and application risk of compost products. In this study, mature compost (MR) was used as a substitute for rice husk (RH) to mitigate the rebound of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) during the cooling phase of sewage sludge composting, and the relationship among ARGs, MGEs, bacterial community and environmental factors was investigated to explore the key factor influencing ARGs rebound. The results showed that aadD, blaCTX-M02, ermF, ermB, tetX and vanHB significantly increased 4.76-32.41 times, and the MGEs rebounded by 38.60% in the cooling phase of RH composting. Conversely, MR reduced aadD, tetM, ermF and ermB concentrations by 59.49-98.58%, and reduced the total abundance of ARGs in the compost product by 49.32% compared to RH, which significantly restrained ARGs rebound. MR promoted secondary high temperature inactivation of potential host bacteria, including Ornithinibacter, Rhizobiales and Caldicoprobacter, which could harbor aadE, blaCTX-M02, and blaVEB. It also reduced the abundance of lignocellulose degrading bacteria of Firmicutes, which were potential hosts of aadD, tetX, ermF and vanHB. Moreover, MR reduced moisture and increased oxidation reduction potential (ORP) that promoted aadE, tetQ, tetW abatement. Furthermore, MR reduced 97.36% of total MGEs including Tn916/1545, IS613, Tp614 and intI3, which alleviated ARGs horizontal transfer. Overall finding proposed mature compost reflux as bulking agent was a simple method to suppress ARGs rebound and horizontal transfer, improve ARGs removal and reduce composting plant cost.202539798649
8123100.9364The effect of bulk-biochar and nano-biochar amendment on the removal of antibiotic resistance genes in microplastic contaminated soil. Biochar amendment has significant benefits in removing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the soil. Nevertheless, there is little information on ARGs removal in microplastic contaminated soil. Herein, a 42-day soil microcosm experiment were carried out to study how two coconut shell biochars (bulk- and nano-size) eliminate soil ARGs with/without microplastic presence. The results showed that microplastic increased significantly the numbers and abundances of ARGs in soil at 14d of cultivation. And, two biochars amendment effectively inhibited soil ARGs spread whether or not microplastic was present, especially for nano-biochar which had more effective removal compared to bulk-biochar. However, microplastic weakened soil ARGs removal after applying same biochar. Two biochars removed ARGs through decreasing horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs, potential host-bacteria abundances, some bacteria crowding the eco-niche of hosts and promoting soil properties. The adverse effect of microplastic on ARGs removal was mainly caused by weakening mobile genetic elements (MGEs) removal, and by changing soil properties. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that biochar's effect on ARGs profile was changed by its size and microplastic presence through altering MGEs abundances. These results highlight that biochar amendment is still an effective method for ARGs removal in microplastic contaminated soil.202437907163
8106110.9364Reducing antibiotic resistance genes, integrons, and pathogens in dairy manure by continuous thermophilic composting. This study explored the effects of composting using three temperature regimes, namely, insufficient thermophilic composting (ITC), normal thermophilic composting (NTC), and continuous thermophilic composting (CTC), on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), integrons, and human pathogenic bacteria (HPB), as well as the mechanisms involved. The NTC and CTC treatments led to greater decreases in 5/10 ARGs and two integrons than ITC, and the abundances of ARGs (tetC, tetG, and tetQ) and int1 only declined in the NTC and CTC treatments. The abundances of HPB decreased by 82.8%, 76.9%, and 96.9% under ITC, NTC, CTC, respectively. Redundancy analysis showed that both bacterial succession and horizontal gene transfer play important roles in the variation of ARGs, and the changes in different ARGs were due to diverse mechanisms. CTC performed significantly better at reducing ARGs, integrons, and HPB, thus it may be used to manage the public health risks of ARGs in animal manure.201627598571
8109120.9358The fate of antibiotic resistance genes and their influential factors in swine manure composting with sepiolite as additive. Manures are storages for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) entering the environment. This study investigated the effects of adding sepiolite at 0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5% (CK, T1, T2, and T3, respectively) on the fates of ARGs during composting. The relative abundances (RAs) of the total ARGs in CK and T3 decreased by 0.23 and 0.46 logs, respectively, after composting. The RAs of 10/11 ARGs decreased in CK, whereas they all decreased in T3. The reduction in the RA of the total mobile genetic elements (MGEs) was 1.26 times higher in T3 compared with CK after composting. The bacterial community accounted for 47.93% of the variation in the abundances of ARGs. Network analysis indicated that ARGs and MGEs shared potential host bacteria (PHB), and T3 controlled the transmission of ARGs by reducing the abundances of PHB. Composting with 7.5% sepiolite is an effective strategy for reducing the risk of ARGs proliferating.202235063626
7942130.9356Insight into effects of polyethylene microplastics in anaerobic digestion systems of waste activated sludge: Interactions of digestion performance, microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes. The environmental risks of microplastics (MPs) have raised an increasing concern. However, the effects of MPs in anaerobic digestion (AD) systems of waste activated sludge (WAS), especially on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), have not been clearly understood. Herein, the variation and interaction of digestion performance, microbial communities and ARGs during AD process of WAS in the presence of polyethylene (PE) MPs with two sizes, PE MPs-180μm and PE MPs-1mm, were investigated. The results showed that the presence of PE MPs, especially PE MPs-1mm, led to the increased hydrolysis of soluble polysaccharides and proteins and the accumulation of volatile fatty acids. The methane production decreased by 6.1% and 13.8% in the presence of PE MPs-180μm and PE MPs-1mm, respectively. Together with this process, hydrolytic bacteria and acidogens were enriched, and methanogens participating in acetoclastic methanogenesis were reduced. Meanwhile, ARGs were enriched obviously by the presence of PE MPs, the abundances of which in PE MPs-180μm and PE MPs-1mm groups were 1.2-3.0 times and 1.5-4.0 times higher than that in the control by the end of AD. That was associated with different co-occurrence patterns between ARGs and bacterial taxa and the enrichment of ARG-hosting bacteria caused by the presence of PE MPs. Together these results suggested the adverse effects of PE MPs on performance and ARGs removal during AD process of WAS through inducing the changes of microbial populations.202235944782
8058140.9356Effects of biochars on the fate of antibiotics and their resistance genes during vermicomposting of dewatered sludge. It is currently still difficult to decrease the high contents of antibiotics and their corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in sludge vermicompost. To decrease the environmental risk of vermicompost as a bio-fertilizer, this study investigated the feasibility of biochar addition to decrease the levels of antibiotics and ARGs during vermicomposting of dewatered sludge. To achieve this, 1.25% and 5% of corncob and rice husk biochars, respectively, were added to sludge, which was then vermicomposted by Eisenia fetida for 60 days. The sludge blended with corncob biochar showed increased decomposition and humification of organic matter. Higher biochar concentration promoted both the number and diversity of bacteria, and differed dominant genera. The level of antibiotics significantly decreased as a result of biochar addition (P < 0.05), and tetracycline was completely removed. Relative to the control without addition of biochars, ermF and tetX genes significantly decreased with corncob biochar treatment (P < 0.05). Rice husk biochar (5%) could effectively decrease sul-1 and sul-2 genes in vermicompost (P < 0.05). However, the abundance of the intI-1 gene increased with biochar concentration. This study suggests that biochar addition can lessen the antibiotic and ARG pollution in sludge vermicompost, depending on the type and concentration of biochars.202032388093
7623150.9355Biochar combined with polyvalent phage therapy to mitigate antibiotic resistance pathogenic bacteria vertical transfer risk in an undisturbed soil column system. The vertical migration of antibiotic resistance pathogenic bacteria (ARPB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the surface soil-vadose soil system has become a new threat to ecological safety and public health; there is an imperative need to develop an efficient technique for targeted control and inactivation of ARPB in these systems. In this work, undisturbed soil columns (0 ∼ -5 m) were constructed to investigate the impact of biochar amendment or/and polyvalent bacteriophage (ΦYSZ-KK) therapy on the vertical control and inactivation of tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli K-12 and chloramphenicol-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia K-6. The simultaneous application of polyvalent phage and biochar impeded the vertical migration of ARPB from the top soil to lower soil layers and stimulated the ARPB dissipation in the soil column. After 60-day incubation, levels of ARPB and ARGs decreased significantly in the soil column by magnitudes of 2-6. Additionally, high throughput sequencing indicated that the simultaneous application of biochar and phage clearly maintained the structure and diversity of the soil microbial communities (p < 0.05). This work therefore demonstrates that the application of a biochar/phage combination is an environmentally friendly, efficacious measure for the control and inactivation of ARPB/ARGs in vertical soil column systems.201930399485
8120160.9354Insight into the fate of antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial community in co-composting green tea residues with swine manure. Green tea residues (GTRs) are byproducts of tea production and processing, and this type of agricultural waste retains nutritious components. This study investigated the co-composting of GTRs with swine manure, as well as the effects of GTRs on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the bacterial community during co-composting. The temperature and C/N ratio indicate compost was mature after processing. The addition of GTRs effectively promoted the reduction in the abundances of most targeted ARGs (tet and sul genes), mobile genetic element (MGE; intI1), and metal resistance genes (MRGs; pcoA and tcrB). Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that GTRs can reduce the abundance of MRGs and ARGs by reducing the bioavailability of heavy metals. Network analysis shows that Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were the main hosts of ARGs and ARGs, MGEs, and MRGs shared the same potential host bacteria. Adding GTRs during composting may reduce ARGs transmission through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). GTRs affected the bacterial community, thereby influencing the variations in the ARG profiles and reducing the potential risk associated with the compost product.202032310121
6937170.9354Differential responses of bacterial and archaeal communities to biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics in river. Microplastics are widespread environmental pollutants that pose risks to ecosystems, yet their effects on bacterial and archaeal communities in aquatic ecosystems remain understudied. In this study, we performed a 14-day microcosm experiment combined with metagenomic sequencing to compare bacterial and archaeal responses to a biodegradable microplastic (polylactic acid, PLA) and a non-biodegradable microplastic (polyvinyl chloride, PVC). Microplastics selectively enriched distinct microbial assemblages, with Pseudomonadota and Euryarchaeota identified as the dominant bacterial and archaeal phyla, accounting for 67.83 % and 15.95 %, respectively. Archaeal community in surrounding water were more sensitive to colonization time than bacterial community. Compared to the surrounding water, the plastisphere displayed simpler and more loosely connected microbial networks. Notably, co-occurrence networks of both bacteria and archaea in the PVC plastisphere were predominantly shaped by symbiotic interactions. Both bacteria and archaea carried diverse antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but PLS-PM indicated that bacteria were the primary drivers of ARG dissemination (path coefficient = 0.952). While the PVC plastisphere showed higher ARG abundance than the PLA plastisphere, elevated intI1 expression in the PLA plastisphere suggests a potentially greater risk of ARG dissemination associated with PLA microplastics. These findings reveal the distinct effects of PLA and PVC microplastics on microbial communities and highlight the role of microplastics in ARG dissemination, emphasizing their ecological risks in aquatic ecosystems.202540712359
8107180.9353Effects of micron-scale zero valent iron on behaviors of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens in thermophilic anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. This work investigated the metagenomics-based behavior and risk of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and their potential hosts during thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) of waste activated sludge, enhanced by micron-scale zero valent iron (mZVI). Tests were conducted with 0, 25, 100, and 250 mg mZVI/g total solids (TS). Results showed that up to 7.3% and 4.8% decrease in ARGs' abundance and diversity, respectively, were achieved with 100 mg mZVI/g TS. At these conditions, ARGs with health risk in abundance and human pathogenic bacteria (HPB) diversity were also decreased by 8.3% and 3.6%, respectively. Additionally, mZVI reduced abundance of 72 potential pathogenic supercarriers for ARGs with high health risk by 2.5%, 5.0%, and 6.1%, as its dosage increased. Overall, mZVI, especially at 100 mg/g TS, can mitigate antibiotic resistance risk in TAD. These findings are important for better understanding risks of ARGs and their pathogenic hosts in ZVI-enhanced TAD of solid wastes.202336931448
8122190.9353Enhanced removal of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements during sewage sludge composting covered with a semi-permeable membrane. Transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via air media, such as particulate matter, has been intensively investigated due to human exposure through inhalation. However, whether particulate matter originating from the atmospheric environment of composting plants can impact ARG abundance during composting is unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of the atmospheric environment of composting plants on ARG abundance during sewage sludge composting using semi-permeable membrane-covered thermophilic composting (smTC) and conventional thermophilic composting (cTC). After smTC treatment, the total abundances of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) decreased by 42.1 % and 38.1 % compared with those of the initial phase, respectively, but they increased by 4.5- and 1.6-fold after cTC, respectively. This result suggested that smTC was more efficient at decreasing ARGs and MGEs than cTC, mainly due to a significant reduction in bacterial contamination from the atmospheric environment of composting plants that accelerated the resurgence of ARGs and MGEs. Furthermore, culture experiments demonstrated that the abundance and diversity of antibiotic-resistant bacteria during the mature phase of smTC were also significantly (P <  0.05) lower than those in the cTC treatment. Thus, covering composting with a semi-permeable membrane could decrease the risk of ARGs spreading.202032361132