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811100.9967Effect 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
812310.9967The 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
794020.9962Microplastics 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
692130.9961Impacts of Chemical and Organic Fertilizers on the Bacterial Communities, Sulfonamides and Sulfonamide Resistance Genes in Paddy Soil Under Rice-Wheat Rotation. The responses of sulfonamides, sulfonamide-resistance genes (sul) and soil bacterial communities to different fertilization regimes were investigated by performing a field experiment using paddy soil with no fertilizer applied, chemical fertilizer applied, organic fertilizer applied, and combination of chemical and organic fertilizer applied. Applying organic fertilizer increased the bacterial community diversity and affected the bacterial community composition. Eutrophic bacteria (Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Proteobacteria) were significantly enriched by applying organic fertilizer. It was also found organic fertilizer application increased sulfamethazine content and the relative abundances of sul1 and sul2 in the soil. In contrast, applying chemical fertilizer significantly increased the abundance of Nitrospirae, Parcubacteria, and Verrucomicrobia and caused no obvious changes on sul. Correlation analysis indicated that sul enrichment was associated with the increases in sulfamethazine content and potential hosts (e.g., Novosphingobium and Rhodoplanes) population. The potential ecological risks of antibiotics in paddy soil with organic fertilizer applied cannot be ignored.202236547725
794140.9961Microplastics 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
812450.9961Effect of graphene and graphene oxide on antibiotic resistance genes during copper-contained swine manure anaerobic digestion. Copper is an important selectors for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) transfer because of metal-antibiotic cross-resistance and/or coresistance. Due to carbon-based materials' good adsorption capacity for heavy metals, graphene and graphene oxide have great potential to reduce ARGs abundance in the environment with copper pollution. To figure out the mechanics, this study investigated the effects of graphene and graphene oxide on the succession of ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), heavy metal resistance genes (HMRGs), and bacterial communities during copper-contained swine manure anaerobic digestion. Results showed that graphene and graphene oxide could reduce ARGs abundance in varying degrees with the anaerobic reactors that contained a higher concentration of copper. Nevertheless, graphene decreased the abundance of ARGs more effectively than graphene oxide. Phylum-level bacteria such as Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, and Verrucomicrobiaat were significantly positively correlated with most ARGs. Network and redundancy analyses demonstrated that alterations in the bacterial community are one of the main factors leading to the changes in ARGs. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Spirochaetes were enriched lower in graphene reactor than graphene oxide in anaerobic digestion products, which may be the main reason that graphene is superior to graphene oxide in reduced ARGs abundance. Additionally, ARGs were close to HMRGs than MGEs in the treatments with graphene, the opposite in graphene oxide reactors. Therefore, we speculate that the reduction of HMRGs in graphene may contribute to the result that graphene is superior to graphene oxide in reduced ARGs abundance in anaerobic digestion.202336394812
792960.9960Size-dependent effects of microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes fate in wastewater treatment systems: The role of changed surface property and microbial assemblages in a continuous exposure mode. Microplastics (MPs) were continuously transported to wastewater treatment systems and accumulated in sludge constantly, potentially affecting systems function and co-occurrent contaminants fate. However, previous studies were based on acute exposure of MPs, which could not reflect the dynamics of MPs accumulation. Herein, this study firstly raised a more realistic method to evaluate the practical impacts of MPs on systems purification efficiency and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) fate. Continuous exposure of MPs did not pose negative effects on nutrients removal, but significantly changed the occurrence patterns of ARGs. ARGs abundances increased by 42.8 % and 54.3 % when exposed to millimeter-size MPs (mm-MPs) polyamide and polyethylene terephthalate, but increased by 31.3 % and 39.4 % to micron-size MPs (μm-MPs), respectively. Thus, mm-MPs posed severer effects on ARGs than μm-MPs. Further, mm-MPs surface properties were obviously altered after long-term exposure (higher specific surface area and O-containing species), which benefited microbes attachment. More importantly, more taxa linkages and changed topological properties (higher average degree and average weight) of co-occurrent network were observed in sludge with mm-MPs than with μm-MPs, as well as totally different potential host bacteria of ARGs. Rough surface of MPs and closer relations between ARGs and bacteria taxa contributed to the propagation of ARGs, which accounted for the observed higher ARGs abundances of mm-MPs. This study demonstrated that long-term accumulation of MPs in wastewater treatment systems affected ARGs fate, and mm-MPs caused severer risk due to their enrichment of ARGs. The results would promote the understanding of MPs real environmental behavior and influences.202236037899
691770.9960Response characteristics of antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial communities during agricultural waste composting: Focusing on biogas residue combined with biochar amendments. This research investigated biogas residue and biochar addition on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and changes in bacterial community during agricultural waste composting. Sequencing technique investigated bacterial community structure and ARGs, MGEs changes. Correlations among physicochemical factors, ARGs, MGEs, and bacterial community structure were determined using redundancy analysis. Results confirmed that biochar and biogas residue amendments effectively lowered the contents of ARGs and MGEs. The main ARGs detected was sul1. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the main host bacteria strongly associated with the dissemination of ARGs. The dynamic characteristics of the bacterial community were strongly correlated with pile temperature and pH (P < 0.05). Redundancy and network analysis revealed that nitrate, intI1, and Firmicutes mainly affected the in ARGs changes. Therefore, regulating these key variables would effectively suppress the ARGs spread and risk of compost use.202336657587
792880.9960Insight into the responses of antibiotic resistance genes in microplastic biofilms to zinc oxide nanoparticles and zinc ions pressures in landfill leachate. Microplastic (MP) biofilms are hotspots of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in landfill environment. MP biofilms in landfill leachate coexist with heavy metals and metallic nanoparticles (NPs) that considered to be the selective agents of ARGs. However, the effects of these selective pressures on ARGs in MP biofilms and their differences in MP-surrounding leachate have not been well understood. Herein, the changes of ARG abundances in MP biofilms and corresponding leachate under zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs and zinc ion (Zn(2+)) pressures were comparatively analyzed. The presence of ZnO NPs and Zn(2+) promoted the enrichment of ARGs in MP biofilms, and the enrichment was more pronounced in ZnO NPs groups. ZnO NPs and especially Zn(2+) mainly decreased the abundances of ARGs in leachate. The increase of integron abundances and reactive oxygen species production in MP biofilms implied the enhanced potential for horizontal transfer of ARGs under ZnO NPs and Zn(2+) pressures. Meanwhile, the co-occurrence pattern between ARGs and bacterial genera in MP biofilms with more diverse potential ARG hosts was more complex than in leachate, and the enrichment of ARG-hosting bacteria in MP biofilms under ZnO NPs and Zn(2+) pressures supported the enrichment of ARGs.202337480611
693790.9959Differential 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
8581100.9959Tire particles and its leachates: Impact on antibiotic resistance genes in coastal sediments. Tire particles (TPs), a significant group of microplastics, can be discharged into the coastal environments in various ways. However, our understanding of how TPs impact the antibiotic resistance and pathogenic risks of microorganisms in coastal sediments remains limited. In this study, we used metagenomics to investigate how TPs and their leachates could affect the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), virulence factor genes (VFGs), and their potential risks to the living creatures such as soil invertebrates and microorganisms in the coastal sediments. We discovered that TP addition significantly increased the abundance and diversity of ARGs and VFGs in coastal sediments, with raw TPs displayed higher impacts than TP leachates and TPs after leaching on ARGs and VFGs. With increasing TP exposure concentrations, the co-occurrence frequency of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in the same contig also increased, suggesting that TPs could enhance the dispersal risk of ARGs. Our metagenome-based binning analysis further revealed that exposure to TPs increased the abundance of potentially pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria (PARB). In addition, chemical additives of TP leachates (e.g., Zn and N-cyclohexylformamide) significantly affected the changes of ARGs in the pore water. In summary, our study provides novel insights into the adverse effects of TP pollutions on aggravating the dissemination and pathogenic risks of ARGs and PARB in the coastal environment.202438147751
6926110.9959Insights into the driving factors of vertical distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in long-term fertilized soils. The prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soils has aroused wide attention. However, the influence of long-term fertilization on the distribution of ARGs in different soil layers and its dominant drivers remain largely unknown. In this study, a total of 203 ARGs were analyzed in greenhouse vegetable soils (0-100 cm from a 13-year field experiment applied with different fertilizers (control, chemical fertilizer, organic manure, and mixed fertilizer). Compared with unfertilized and chemically fertilized soils, manure application significantly increased the abundance and alpha diversity of soil ARGs, where the assembly of ARG communities was strongly driven by stochastic processes. The distribution of ARGs was significantly driven by manure application within 60 cm, while it was insignificantly changed in soil below 60 cm under different fertilization regimes. The inter-correlations of ARGs with mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and microbiota were strengthened in manured soil, indicating manure application posed a higher risk for ARGs diffusion in subsurface soil. Bacteria abundance and MGEs directly influenced ARG abundance and composition, whereas soil depth and manure application indirectly influenced ARG abundance and composition by affecting antibiotics. These results strengthen our understanding of the long-term anthropogenic influence on the vertical distribution of soil ARGs and highlight the ecological risk of ARGs in subsurface soil induced by long-term manure application.202337247491
7930120.9959Fates of extracellular and intracellular antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge and plastisphere under sulfadiazine pressure. Microplastics, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) represent prominent emerging contaminants that can potentially hinder the efficacy of biological wastewater treatment and pose health risks. Plastisphere as a distinct ecological niche for microorganisms, acts as a repository for ARGs and potential pathogenic bacteria. Nonetheless, the spread pattern of extracellular ARGs (eARGs) and intracellular ARGs (iARGs) in plastisphere under antibiotic exposure was not yet known. This study aimed to investigate disparities in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production, extracellular and intracellular microbial community structures, as well as the transmission of eARGs and iARGs between activated sludge and plastisphere in an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic system under sulfadiazine (SDZ) exposure. SDZ was found to enhance EPS production in activated sludge and plastisphere. Interestingly, as SDZ removal efficiency increased, EPS content decreased in activated sludge and plastisphere collected from oxic zone, and continued to increase in plastisphere samples collected from anaerobic and anoxic zones. There were significant differences in microbial community structure between activated sludge and plastisphere, and the DNA fragments of potential pathogenic bacteria were detected in extracellular samples. SDZ exhibited a promoting effect on the propagation of eARGs, which were more abundant in the plastisphere than in activated sludge, thus heightening the risk of ARGs dissemination. Extracellular mobile genetic elements played a pivotal role in driving the spread of eARGs, while the microbial community induced the changes of iARGs. Potential pathogenic bacteria emerged as potential hosts for ARGs and mobile genetic elements within activated sludge and plastisphere, leading to more serious environmental threats.202337898001
8580130.9959Mitigation of microplastic-associated emerging pollutants by chlorination using field-collected microplastic: Antimicrobial-resistant genes and pathogens. The ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments has raised significant concerns regarding their roles as vectors for antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant pathogens (ARPs). This study investigated the mitigation of ARGs and ARPs associated with field-collected MPs through chlorination using free available chlorine (FAC) at varying concentrations. FAC effectively reduced the absolute abundance of ARGs on MPs by up to 99.69 %, although the relative abundance of certain ARGs persisted or increased after treatments. Results revealed that the three-dimensional structure of biofilms on MPs significantly influenced FAC efficacy, with interior biofilm bacteria demonstrating greater resistance than outer biofilm. Additionally, FAC induced fragmentation of MPs, particularly increasing the proportion of particles smaller than 100 μm. Notably, ARGs such as sul1 and ermB showed substantial reductions in absolute abundance, whereas ermC and sul2 exhibited less reduction, highlighting the complexity of disinfection in MP-associated biofilms. These findings underscore the need for optimizing disinfection strategies to mitigate ARG dissemination and address environmental risks posed by MPs in wastewater effluents.202540436100
8120140.9959Insight 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
7942150.9959Insight 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
8101160.9959Enhanced removal of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements during swine manure composting inoculated with mature compost. Livestock manure is a major source of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) that enter the environment. This study assessed the effects of inoculation with mature compost (MC) on the fates of ARGs and the bacterial community during swine manure composting. The results showed that MC prolonged the thermophilic period and promoted the decomposition of organic matter, which was due to the rapid growth and reproduction of thermophilic bacteria (Bacillus, Thermobifida, and Thermobacillus). MC significantly reduced the relative abundances of ARGs (1.02 logs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) (1.70 logs) after composting, especially sulfanilamide resistance genes. The total ARGs removal rate was 1.11 times higher in MC than the control. Redundancy analysis and structural equation modeling showed that horizontal gene transfer mediated by MGEs (ISCR1 and intI1) was the main direct factor related to the changes in ARGs during composting, whereas the C/N ratio and pH were the two most important indirect factors. Network analysis showed that members of Firmicutes comprising Romboutsia, Clostridisensu_stricto_1, and Terrisporobacter were the main bacterial hosts of ARGs and MGEs. MC reduced the risk of ARGs transmission by decreasing the abundances of bacterial hosts. Thus, MC is a promising strategy for reducing the proliferation risk of ARGs.202133858100
6916170.9958Mobile genetic elements in potential host microorganisms are the key hindrance for the removal of antibiotic resistance genes in industrial-scale composting with municipal solid waste. During the municipal solid waste (MSW) composting, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) could be one of the concerns to hinder the application of MSW composting. However, the understanding of enrichment and dissemination of ARGs during the industrial-scale composting is still not clear. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the ARG distributions at different stages in an industrial-scale MSW composting plant. Seven target ARGs and four target mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and bacterial communities were investigated. The abundances of ARGs and MGEs increased during two aerobic thermophilic stages, but they decreased in most ARGs and MGEs after composting. Network analysis showed that potential host bacteria of ARGs were mainly Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. The reduction of potential host bacteria was important to remove ARGs. MGEs were an important factor hindering ARG removal. Water-extractable S and pH were two main physicochemical factors in the changes of microbial community and the abundance of ARGs.202031962245
6915180.9958Industrial-scale aerobic composting of livestock manures with the addition of biochar: Variation of bacterial community and antibiotic resistance genes caused by various composting stages. The presence of large amounts of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock manures poses an impending, tough safety risk to ecosystems. To investigate more comprehensively the mechanisms of ARGs removal from industrial-scale composting of livestock manure based on biochar addition, we tracked the dynamics of bacterial community and ARGs at various stages of aerobic composting of livestock manures with 10% biochar. There were no significant effects of biochar on the bacterial community and the profiles of ARGs. During aerobic composting, the relative abundance of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) showed overall trends of decreasing and then increasing. The key factor driving the dynamics of ARGs was bacterial community composition, and the potential hosts of ARGs were Caldicoprobacter, Tepidimicrobium, Ignatzschineria, Pseudogracilibacillus, Actinomadura, Flavobacterium and Planifilum. The retention of the thermophilic bacteria and the repopulation of the initial bacteria were the dominant reasons for the increase in ARGs at maturation stage. Additionally, among the MGEs, the relative abundance of transposon gene was substantially removed, while the integron genes remained at high relative abundance. Our results highlighted that the suitability of biochar addition to industrial-scale aerobic composting needs to be further explored and that effective measures are needed to prevent the increase of ARGs content on maturation stage.202236162559
8122190.9958Enhanced 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