# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 3291 | 0 | 0.9388 | From wastewater to resistance: characterization of multidrug-resistant bacteria and assessment of natural antimicrobial compounds. The development and spread of antibiotic resistance in wastewater pose significant threats to both the environment and public health. Bacteria harboring multiple antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), including those associated with horizontal gene transfer (HGT), can serve as persistent reservoirs and vectors for antimicrobial resistance in natural ecosystems. In this study, nine antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains (U1-U9) were isolated from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. The isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles were evaluated. All isolates exhibited resistance to multiple antibiotics, and WGS revealed that U1, U2, U4, and U7 harbored diverse ARGs, including β-lactamase genes, efflux pumps, and resistance determinants for sulfonamides, tetracyclines, and, quinolones, confirming the presence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in WWTP effluent. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into Microbacterium spp. (Actinobacteria), Chryseobacterium spp. (Bacteroidetes), Lactococcus lactis spp. (Firmicutes), and Psychrobacter spp. (Proteobacteria). To explore mitigation strategies, eleven natural compounds were screened for their effects on cell growth, biofilm formation, and motility in selected multi-drug-resistant bacteria. Among the tested compounds, curcumin and emodin showed the most consistent inhibitory activity, particularly against Microbacterium spp. strains U1 and U2, and Lactococcus lactis sp. U4. In contrast, Chryseobacterium sp. U7, a Gram-negative strain, exhibited strong resistance to all tested natural compounds, highlighting the challenge of controlling Gram-negative ARBs in wastewater settings. These findings underscore the environmental risks posed by multidrug-resistant and HGT-associated ARG-harboring bacteria in WWTP effluent. They also demonstrate the potential of natural products, such as curcumin and emodin, as alternative or complementary agents for mitigating antibiotic resistance in water systems. | 2025 | 40708915 |
| 7999 | 1 | 0.9384 | Occurrence and distribution of five antibiotic resistance genes during the loading period in sludge treatment wetlands. The objectives of this study were to clarify the distribution as well as the removal mechanism of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) within three sludge treatment wetlands (STWs) during a loading period of two years. Three STW units were constructed and run during the loading period: Unit 1 (U1) built with aeration tubes, Unit 2 (U2) built with aeration tubes and reeds, and Unit 3 (U3) built with reeds only. All targeted ARGs, intI1, and 16S rRNA were detected in residual sludge in the order of magnitude: 16S rRNA>sul1>intI1>sul2>tetC>tetA>ermB. The abundance of the five targeted ARGs, intI1, and 16S rRNA increased in residual sludge, during the loading period, which may be due to the increase in bacteria caused by the continuous import of exogenous nutrients. However, STWs can also remove ARGs from sewage during the loading period and the mean removal efficiency of five resistance genes was 73.0%. The removal rates of intI1 and 16S rRNA were 73.5% and 78.6%, respectively. Positive correlations were detected in abundance of most ARGs and intI1, as well as 16S rRNA (P < 0.05), indicating intI1 plays a vital part in the propagation of ARGs. The removal of bacteria harboring these genes also occurs in the STW units. | 2020 | 32771773 |
| 7267 | 2 | 0.9365 | Antimicrobial resistance transmission in the environmental settings through traditional and UV-enabled advanced wastewater treatment plants: a metagenomic insight. BACKGROUND: Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are pivotal reservoirs for antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). Selective pressures from antibiotic residues, co-selection by heavy metals, and conducive environments sustain ARGs, fostering the emergence of ARB. While advancements in WWTP technology have enhanced the removal of inorganic and organic pollutants, assessing ARG and ARB content in treated water remains a gap. This metagenomic study meticulously examines the filtration efficiency of two distinct WWTPs-conventional (WWTPC) and advanced (WWTPA), operating on the same influent characteristics and located at Aligarh, India. RESULTS: The dominance of Proteobacteria or Pseudomonadota, characterized the samples from both WWTPs and carried most ARGs. Acinetobacter johnsonii, a prevailing species, exhibited a diminishing trend with wastewater treatment, yet its persistence and association with antibiotic resistance underscore its adaptive resilience. The total ARG count was reduced in effluents, from 58 ARGs, representing 14 distinct classes of antibiotics in the influent to 46 and 21 in the effluents of WWTPC and WWTPA respectively. However, an overall surge in abundance, particularly influenced by genes such as qacL, bla(OXA-900), and rsmA was observed. Numerous clinically significant ARGs, including those against aminoglycosides (AAC(6')-Ib9, APH(3'')-Ib, APH(6)-Id), macrolides (EreD, mphE, mphF, mphG, mphN, msrE), lincosamide (lnuG), sulfonamides (sul1, sul2), and beta-lactamases (bla(NDM-1)), persisted across both conventional and advanced treatment processes. The prevalence of mobile genetic elements and virulence factors in the effluents possess a high risk for ARG dissemination. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced technologies are essential for effective ARG and ARB removal. A multidisciplinary approach focused on investigating the intricate association between ARGs, microbiome dynamics, MGEs, and VFs is required to identify robust indicators for filtration efficacy, contributing to optimized WWTP operations and combating ARG proliferation across sectors. | 2025 | 40050994 |
| 7779 | 3 | 0.9361 | Metagenomic and Resistome Analysis of a Full-Scale Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant in Singapore Containing Membrane Bioreactors. Reclaimed water provides a water supply alternative to address problems of scarcity in urbanized cities with high living densities and limited natural water resources. In this study, wastewater metagenomes from 6 stages of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) integrating conventional and membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment were evaluated for diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and bacteria, and relative abundance of class 1 integron integrases (intl1). ARGs confering resistance to 12 classes of antibiotics (ARG types) persisted through the treatment stages, which included genes that confer resistance to aminoglycoside [aadA, aph(6)-I, aph(3')-I, aac(6')-I, aac(6')-II, ant(2″)-I], beta-lactams [class A, class C, class D beta-lactamases (bla (OXA))], chloramphenicol (acetyltransferase, exporters, floR, cmIA), fosmidomycin (rosAB), macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (macAB, ereA, ermFB), multidrug resistance (subunits of transporters), polymyxin (arnA), quinolone (qnrS), rifamycin (arr), sulfonamide (sul1, sul2), and tetracycline (tetM, tetG, tetE, tet36, tet39, tetR, tet43, tetQ, tetX). Although the ARG subtypes in sludge and MBR effluents reduced in diversity relative to the influent, clinically relevant beta lactamases (i.e., bla (KPC), bla (OXA)) were detected, casting light on other potential point sources of ARG dissemination within the wastewater treatment process. To gain a deeper insight into the types of bacteria that may survive the MBR removal process, genome bins were recovered from metagenomic data of MBR effluents. A total of 101 close to complete draft genomes were assembled and annotated to reveal a variety of bacteria bearing metal resistance genes and ARGs in the MBR effluent. Three bins in particular were affiliated to Mycobacterium smegmatis, Acinetobacter Iwoffii, and Flavobacterium psychrophila, and carried aquired ARGs aac(2')-Ib, bla (OXA-278), and tet36 respectively. In terms of indicator organisms, cumulative log removal values (LRV) of Escherichia coli, Enterococci, and P. aeruginosa from influent to conventional treated effluent was lower (0-2.4), compared to MBR effluent (5.3-7.4). We conclude that MBR is an effective treatment method for reducing fecal indicators and ARGs; however, incomplete removal of P. aeruginosa in MBR treated effluents (<8 MPN/100 mL) and the presence of ARGs and intl1 underscores the need to establish if further treatment should be applied prior to reuse. | 2019 | 30833934 |
| 7055 | 4 | 0.9360 | Characterization of antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial community in selected municipal and industrial sewage treatment plants beside Poyang Lake. Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are significant reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). Municipal STPs (MSTPs) and industrial STPs (ISTPs) are the two most important STP types in cities. In this study, the ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and bacterial communities of selected STPs, including two MSTPs and one ISTP, in the vicinity of Poyang Lake were comprehensively investigated through high-throughput qPCR and high-throughput Illumina sequencing. The results showed that the profiles of ARGs, MGEs and bacteria differed between the ISTP and the two MSTPs, most likely due to differences in influent water quality, such as the Pb that characterized in the ISTP's influent. The longer hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of the two MSTPs than of the ISTP may also have accounted for the different profiles. Thus, a prolonged HRT in the CASS process seems to allow a more extensive removal of ARGs and bacteria in ISTPs with similar treatment process. By providing comprehensive insights into the characteristics of ARGs, MGEs and the bacterial communities of the selected MSTPs and ISTP, our study provides a scientific basis for controlling the propagation and diffusion of ARGs and ARB in different types of STPs. | 2020 | 32092547 |
| 3497 | 5 | 0.9358 | Biomarkers of antibiotic resistance genes during seasonal changes in wastewater treatment systems. To evaluate the seasonal distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and explore the reason for their patterns in different seasons and different systems, two wastewater treatment systems were selected and analyzed using high-throughput qPCR. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) was used to discover the differential ARGs (biomarkers) and estimate the biomarkers' effect size. We found that the total absolute abundances of ARGs in inflows and excess sludge samples had no obvious seasonal fluctuations, while those in winter outflow samples decreased in comparison with the inflow samples. Eleven differentially abundant ARGs (biomarker genes, BmGs) (aadA5-02, aac-6-II, cmlA1-01, cmlA1-02, blaOXA10-02, aadA-02, tetX, aadA1, ereA, qacEΔ1-01, and blaTEM) in summer samples and 10 BmGs (tet-32, tetA-02, aacC2, vanC-03, aac-6-I1, tetE, ermB, mefA, tnpA - 07, and sul2) in winter samples were validated. According to 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the relative abundance of bacteria at the phylum level exhibited significant seasonal changes in outflow water (OW), and biomarker bacteria (BmB) were discovered at the family (or genus) level. Synechococcus and vadinCA02 are BmB in summer, and Trichococcus, Lactococcus, Pelosinus, Janthinobacterium, Nitrosomonadaceae and Sterolibacterium are BmB in winter. In addition, BmB have good correlations with BmGs in the same season, which indicates that bacterial community changes drive different distributions of ARGs during seasonal changes and that LEfSe is an acute and effective method for finding significantly different ARGs and bacteria between two or more classes. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the seasonal changes of BmGs and BmB at two wastewater treatment systems. | 2018 | 29169020 |
| 7758 | 6 | 0.9357 | Removal efficiency of antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and genes across parallel secondary settling tank and membrane bioreactor treatment trains in a water reclamation plant. Antimicrobial resistance is recognized as a potent threat to human health. Wastewater treatment facilities are viewed as hotspots for the spread of antimicrobial resistance. This study provides comprehensive data on the occurrences of 3 different antibiotic resistant opportunistic pathogens (with resistance to up to 5 antibiotics), 13 antibiotic resistant genes and intI1, and 22 different antimicrobial residues in a large water reclamation plant (176 million gallons per day) that runs a conventional Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) reactor followed by a secondary settling tank (SST) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) in parallel. All the antibiotic resistant bacteria and most of the antibiotic resistance genes were present in the raw influent, ranging from 2.5 × 10(2)-3.7 × 10(6) CFU/mL and 1.2× 10(-1)-6.5 × 10(10) GCN/mL, respectively. MBR outperformed the SST system in terms of ARB removal as the ARB targets were largely undetected in MBR effluent, with log removals ranging from 2.7 to 6.8, while SST only had log removals ranging from 0.27 to 4.6. Most of the ARG concentrations were found to have significantly higher in SST effluent than MBR permeate, and MBR had significantly higher removal efficiency for most targets (p < 0.05) except for sul1, sul2, bla(OXA48), intI1 and 16S rRNA genes (p > 0.05). As for the antibiotic residues (AR), there was no significant removal from the start to the end of the treatment process, although MBR had higher removal efficiencies for azithromycin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, erythromycin-H(2)O, lincomycin, sulfamethoxazole and triclosan, compared to the SST system. In conclusion, MBR outperformed SST in terms of ARB and ARGs removal. However low removal efficiencies of most AR targets were apparent. | 2024 | 38492595 |
| 3498 | 7 | 0.9357 | Comparative study on the bacterial diversity and antibiotic resistance genes of urban landscape waters replenished by reclaimed water and surface water in Xi'an, China. Pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in urban landscape waters may pose a potential threat to human health. However, the investigation of their occurrence in the urban landscape waters replenished by reclaimed water (RW) and surface water (SW) is still insufficient. The water samples collected from six urban landscape waters replenished by RW or SW were used to analyze bacterial diversity using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and to detect 18 ARGs and 2 integron-integrase genes by means of quantitative PCR array. Results indicated that Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in all six urban landscape waters. The bacterial species richness was lower in urban landscape waters replenished by RW than that by SW. Sulfonamide resistance genes (sulI and sulIII) were the major ARGs in these urban landscape waters. No significant difference in the relative abundance of sulfonamide resistance genes, tetracycline resistance genes, and most of beta-lactam resistance genes was observed between RW-replenished and SW-replenished urban landscape waters. By contrast, the relative abundance of bla(ampC) gene and qnrA gene in RW-replenished urban landscape waters was significantly higher than that in SW-replenished urban landscape waters (p < 0.05), which suggested that use of RW may increase the amount of specific ARGs to urban landscape waters. Interestingly, among six urban landscape waters, RW-replenished urban landscape waters had a relatively rich variety of ARGs (12-15 of 18 ARGs) but a low relative abundance of ARGs (458.90-1944.67 copies/16S × 10(6)). The RW replenishment was found to have a certain impact on the bacterial diversity and prevalence of ARGs in urban landscape waters, which provide new insight into the effect of RW replenishment on urban landscape waters. | 2021 | 33786766 |
| 7757 | 8 | 0.9357 | Removal of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes from domestic sewage by constructed wetlands: Effect of flow configuration and plant species. This study aims to investigate the removal of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in raw domestic wastewater by various mesocosm-scale constructed wetlands (CWs) with different flow configurations or plant species including the constructed wetland with or without plant. Six mesocosm-scale CWs with three flow types (surface flow, horizontal subsurface flow and vertical subsurface flow) and two plant species (Thaliadealbata Fraser and Iris tectorum Maxim) were set up in the outdoor. 8 antibiotics including erythromycin-H2O (ETM-H2O), monensin (MON), clarithromycin (CTM), leucomycin (LCM), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), trimethoprim (TMP), sulfamethazine (SMZ) and sulfapyridine (SPD) and 12 genes including three sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1, sul2 and sul3), four tetracycline resistance genes (tetG, tetM, tetO and tetX), two macrolide resistance genes (ermB and ermC), two chloramphenicol resistance genes (cmlA and floR) and 16S rRNA (bacteria) were determined in different matrices (water, particle, substrate and plant phases) from the mesocosm-scale systems. The aqueous removal efficiencies of total antibiotics ranged from 75.8 to 98.6%, while those of total ARGs varied between 63.9 and 84.0% by the mesocosm-scale CWs. The presence of plants was beneficial to the removal of pollutants, and the subsurface flow CWs had higher pollutant removal than the surface flow CWs, especially for antibiotics. According to the mass balance analysis, the masses of all detected antibiotics during the operation period were 247,000, 4920-10,600, 0.05-0.41 and 3500-60,000μg in influent, substrate, plant and effluent of the mesocosm-scale CWs. In the CWs, biodegradation, substrate adsorption and plant uptake all played certain roles in reducing the loadings of nutrients, antibiotics and ARGs, but biodegradation was the most important process in the removal of these pollutants. | 2016 | 27443461 |
| 7755 | 9 | 0.9356 | Anthropogenic impacts on sulfonamide residues and sulfonamide resistant bacteria and genes in Larut and Sangga Besar River, Perak. The environmental reservoirs of sulfonamide (SA) resistome are still poorly understood. We investigated the potential sources and reservoir of SA resistance (SR) in Larut River and Sangga Besar River by measuring the SA residues, sulfamethoxazole resistant (SMX(r)) in bacteria and their resistance genes (SRGs). The SA residues measured ranged from lower than quantification limits (LOQ) to 33.13 ng L(-1) with sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfadimethoxine (SDM) and SMX as most detected. Hospital wastewater effluent was detected with the highest SA residues concentration followed by the slaughterhouse and zoo wastewater effluents. The wastewater effluents also harbored the highest abundance of SMX(r)-bacteria (10(7) CFU mL(-1)) and SRGs (10(-1)/16S copies mL(-1)). Pearson correlation showed only positive correlation between the PO(4) and SMX(r)-bacteria. In conclusion, wastewater effluents from the zoo, hospital and slaughterhouse could serve as important sources of SA residues that could lead to the consequent emergence of SMX(r)-bacteria and SRGs in the river. | 2019 | 31726563 |
| 8008 | 10 | 0.9355 | Reductions of bacterial antibiotic resistance through five biological treatment processes treated municipal wastewater. Wastewater treatment plants are hot spots for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, limited studies have been conducted to compare the reductions of ARB and ARGs by various biological treatment processes. The study explored the reductions of heterotrophic bacteria resistant to six groups of antibiotics (vancomycin, gentamicin, erythromycin, cephalexin, tetracycline, and sulfadiazine) and corresponding resistance genes (vanA, aacC1, ereA, ampC, tetA, and sulI) by five bench-scale biological reactors. Results demonstrated that membrane bioreactor (MBR) and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) significantly reduced ARB abundances in the ranges of 2.80∼3.54 log and 2.70∼3.13 log, respectively, followed by activated sludge (AS). Biological filter (BF) and anaerobic (upflow anaerobic sludge blanket, UASB) techniques led to relatively low reductions. In contrast, ARGs were not equally reduced as ARB. AS and SBR also showed significant potentials on ARGs reduction, whilst MBR and UASB could not reduce ARGs effectively. Redundancy analysis implied that the purification of wastewater quality parameters (COD, NH4 (+)-N, and turbidity) performed a positive correlation to ARB and ARGs reductions. | 2016 | 27384166 |
| 8000 | 11 | 0.9354 | Fate of antibiotic resistance genes in reclaimed water reuse system with integrated membrane process. The fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in reclaimed water reuse system with integrated membrane process (IMR) was firstly investigated. Results indicated that ARGs, class 1 integrons (intI1) and 16S rRNA gene could be reduced efficiently in the IMR system. The absolute abundance of all detected ARGs in the reuse water after reverse osmosis (RO) filtration of the IMR system was 4.03 × 10(4) copies/mL, which was about 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than that in the raw influent of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Maximum removal efficiency of the detected genes was up to 3.8 log removal values. Daily flux of the summation of all selected ARGs in the IMR system decreased sharply to (1.02 ± 1.37) ×10(14) copies/day, which was 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than that in the activated sludge system (CAS) system. The strong clustering based on ordination analysis separated the reuse water from other water samples in the WWTPs. Network analysis revealed the existence of potential multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria. The potential multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria, including Clostridium and Defluviicoccus, could be removed effectively by microfiltration and RO filtration. These findings suggested that the IMR system was efficient to remove ARGs and potential multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria in the wastewater reclamation system. | 2020 | 31446351 |
| 7089 | 12 | 0.9353 | Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater as a driver of bacterial community shifts and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic ecosystems. Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) is a source of environmental pollutants, harboring pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study aimed to assess the effects of conventional biological treatment of PSW on the bacterial community and its efficiency in removing ARGs, as well as to evaluate the impact of its discharge on the receiving river. Samples were collected from raw sewage, treated effluent, and upstream and downstream river sites. Total metagenomic DNA was extracted for real-time PCR quantification of 16S rRNA, yccT gene (Escherichia coli), and ARGs, which were selected based on their ability to confer resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics and their prevalence in poultry-associated environments, including resistance to tetracyclines (tetM), beta-lactams (bla(TEM)), sulfonamides (sul1), and quinolones (qnrS). Amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA V3-V4 region was used to assess bacterial community structure. Treated effluent significantly altered the downstream microbiome, reducing bacterial richness by up to 72.3% and diversity by 25.4%. Effluent-associated phyla such as Pseudomonadota (37%), Bacillota (28%), and Bacteroidota (26%) became dominant in the downstream river samples. Enterobacterales increased after treatment, and E. coli increased by 2.93 logs downstream. All ARGs increased after treatment and remained elevated downstream, with qnrS and sul1 rising by 3.77 and 3.87 logs, respectively. These findings highlight PSW treatment plants as a potential point of selection and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-related bacteria and genes. Inefficient treatment contributes to shifts in river bacterial communities and the spread of AMR. | 2025 | 41165913 |
| 7134 | 13 | 0.9353 | Elevated levels of antibiotic resistance in groundwater during treated wastewater irrigation associated with infiltration and accumulation of antibiotic residues. Treated wastewater irrigation (TWW) releases antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into the environment and might thus promote the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in groundwater (GW). We hypothesized that TWW irrigation increases ARG abundance in GW through two potential mechanisms: the contamination of GW with resistant bacteria and the accumulation of antibiotics in GW. To test this, the GW below a real-scale TWW-irrigated field was sampled for six months. Sampling took place before, during and after high-intensity TWW irrigation. Samples were analysed with 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, qPCR of six ARGs and the class 1 integron-integrase gene intI1, while liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was performed to detect antibiotic and pharmaceutical residues. Absolute abundance of 16S rRNA in GW decreased rather than increased during long-term irrigation. Also, the relative abundance of TWW-related bacteria did not increase in GW during long-term irrigation. In contrast, long-term TWW irrigation increased the relative abundance of sul1 and intI1 in the GW microbiome. Furthermore, GW contained elevated concentrations of sulfonamide antibiotics, especially sulfamethoxazole, to which sul1 confers resistance. Total sulfonamide concentrations in GW correlated with sul1 relative abundance. Consequently, TWW irrigation promoted sul1 and intI1 dissemination in the GW microbiome, most likely due to the accumulation of drug residues. | 2022 | 34555761 |
| 7762 | 14 | 0.9353 | Lateral flow sand filters are effective for removal of antibiotic resistance genes from domestic wastewater. The ability of lateral flow sand filters, used as on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS), to remove antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), and other relevant genetic markers (HF183, 16S rRNA, and int1) was assessed. Municipal wastewater was settled in a septic tank prior to loading into six pilot-scale lateral flow sand filters comprised of three different sand media types, at 5 and 30% slopes. The sand filters were sampled bi-weekly for: 9 ARGs and 3 other complimentary gene markers (sul1, sul2, qnrS, tetO, ermB, bla(TEM), bla(CTX-M), mecA, vanA, int1, HF183, 16S rRNA), and conventional microbial and water quality indicators, from July to November in 2017, and four times in the summer of 2018. The sand filters were observed to attenuate 7 of the ARGs to mostly below 2 log gene copies per mL. Log reductions ranging from 2.9 to 5.4 log were observed for the removal of absolute abundances of ARGs from septic tank effluent in 5 of the 6 sand filters. The fine-grained filter on the 5% slope did not perform as well for ARG attenuation due to hydraulic failure. The apportionment of cell-associated versus cell-free DNA was determined for the gene markers and this indicated that the genes were primarily carried intracellularly. Average log reductions of ARB with resistance to either sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, or tetracycline were approximately 2.3 log CFU per mL within the filters compared to the septic tank effluent. This field study provides in-depth insights into the attenuation of ARB, ARGs, and their genetic compartmentalization in variably saturated sand OWTS. Overall, this type of OWTS was found to pose little risk of antimicrobial resistance contamination spread into surrounding environments when proper hydraulic function was maintained. | 2019 | 31306951 |
| 7781 | 15 | 0.9353 | Untreated HWWs Emerged as Hotpots for ARGs. Hospital wastewaters (HWWs) are reported to be hotspots for antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, limited information involves the impact of these effluents on dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, therefore, seasonally collected HWWs were monitored for overall bacterial load and seven ARGs aadA, tetA, cmlA, sul1, qnrS, ermB and bla (CTX-M )by using quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Overall bacterial 16S rRNA copy number was found to be the lowest in winter with 10(3 )copy number/mL, while the highest copy number, with 10(5 )copy number/mL, was observed in both summer and spring. All hospitals tested displayed similar seasonal ARG copy number profile of aadA > tetA > cmlA ≈ sul1 > ermB ≈ qnrS > bla (CTX-M). The results indicated that untreated HWWs were hotspots for ARGs and required attention before discharging into public sewer. | 2020 | 31965225 |
| 3546 | 16 | 0.9352 | Mitigation of tetracycline resistance genes in silage through targeted lactic acid bacteria inoculation. The dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in silage ecosystems poses a critical challenge to ecological stability and public health security. This investigation focuses on tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs), the most prevalent subtype of ARGs in silage, employing a targeted selection strategy for lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants. From 226 isolated LAB strains, four candidates (LP1-3: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum; LC1: Lacticaseibacillus paracasei) demonstrating superior growth kinetics (OD(600) > 1.6 within 24 h) and rapid acidification capacity (pH < 3.9 within 24 h) were selected. Strains LP3 and LC1 exhibited minimal intrinsic TRGs content. These four strains reduced (p < 0.001) pH, ammonia-N concentration, and coliform bacterial counts of stylo silage. Metagenomic analysis revealed that strains LP1-3 promoted Lactiplantibacillus dominance (0.709-0.975 vs. 0.379-0.509 in the control), while LC1 enhanced Lacticaseibacillus abundance (0.449-0.612 vs. 0.002-0.013 in the control). Ensiling process downregulated 367 and upregulated 227 ARGs. Inoculation with the four LAB strains further enhanced the suppression of ARGs. Among the top 30 TRGs, 22 were reduced by strains LP1-3 and 20 by LC1. Quantitative PCR results showed that strains LP1-3 decreased (p < 0.05) the contents of tetA and tetG during 30 days fermentation. Among the TRGs increased, tetA(60), tetB(58), tet(T) were positively correlated with Lactiplantibacillus spp., tetA(58), tetB(60), tetA(46), tetB(46), tet(43) were significantly correlated with Lacticaseibacillus spp. (R > 0.4, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the fermentation process induced substantial ARGs profile modifications, LAB-mediated microbiome engineering enables TRGs suppression, providing a scientific foundation for precision silage management strategies targeting antimicrobial resistance mitigation. | 2025 | 41038354 |
| 7773 | 17 | 0.9351 | Correlation of tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics with corresponding resistance genes and resistant bacteria in a conventional municipal wastewater treatment plant. Antibiotics and corresponding resistance genes and resistant bacteria have been considered as emerging pollutants worldwide. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are potential reservoirs contributing to the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance. In this study, total concentrations of tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics in final effluent were detected at 652.6 and 261.1ng/L, respectively, and in treated sludge, concentrations were at 1150.0 and 76.0μg/kg dry weight (dw), respectively. The quantities of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria in final effluent were quantified in the range of 9.12×10(5)-1.05×10(6) gene abundances /100mL (genomic copies/100mL) and 1.05×10(1)-3.09×10(3)CFU/mL, respectively. In treated sludge, they were quantified at concentrations of 1.00×10(8)-1.78×10(9) gene abandances/100mL and 7.08×10(6)-1.91×10(8)CFU/100mL, respectively. Significant reductions (2-3 logs, p<0.05) of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria were observed between raw influent and final effluent. The gene abundances of tetO and tetW normalized to that of 16S rRNA genes indicated an apparent decrease as compared to sulI genes, which remained stable along each treatment stage. Significant correlations (R(2)=0.75-0.83, p<0.05) between numbers of resistant bacteria and antibiotic concentrations were observed in raw influent and final effluent. No significance (R(2)=0.15, p>0.05) was found between tet genes (tetO and tetW) with concentration of tetracyclines identified in wastewater, while a significant correlation (R(2)=0.97, p<0.05) was observed for sulI gene and total concentration of sulfonamides. Correlations of the quantities of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria with corresponding concentrations of antibiotics in sludge samples were found to be considerably weak (R(2)=0.003-0.07). | 2012 | 22369865 |
| 7989 | 18 | 0.9351 | Feasibility of sulfate-calcined eggshells for removing pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes from landfill leachates. High abundance of human pathogen and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in landfill leachate has become an emerging threat against human health. Therefore, sulfate- and calcination-modified eggshells as green agricultural bioresource were applied to test the feasibility of removing pathogenic bacteria and ARGs from leachate. The highest removal of Escherichia coli (E. coil) and gentamycin resistant gene (gmrA) from artificial contaminated landfill leachate was achieved by the application of eggshell with combined treatment of sulfate and calcination. The 16S and gmrA gene copies of E. coil declined significantly from 1.78E8±8.7E6 and 4.12E8±5.9E6 copies mL(-1) to 1.32E7±2.6E6 and 2.69E7±7.2E6 copies mL(-1), respectively, within 24h dynamic adsorption equilibrium process (p<0.05). Moreover, according to the Langmuir kinetic model, the greatest adsorption amount (1.56×10(9) CFU E. coil per gram of modified eggshells) could be obtained at neutral pH of 7.5. The optimal adsorption eggshells were then screened to the further application in three typical landfill leachates in Nanjing, eastern China. Significant decrease in species and abundance of pathogenic bacteria and ARGs (tet, sul, erm, qnr, and ampC) indicated its great efficiency to purify landfill leachates. This study demonstrated that sulfate-calcined eggshells can be an environmentally-friendly and highly efficient bioadsorbent to the management of reducing dissemination risk of pathogen and ARGs in landfill leachate. | 2017 | 28343745 |
| 7276 | 19 | 0.9351 | Antibiotic resistance in urban and hospital wastewaters and their impact on a receiving freshwater ecosystem. The main objective of this study was to investigate the antibiotic resistance (AR) levels in wastewater (WW) and the impact on the receiving river. Samples were collected once per season over one year in the WW of a hospital, in the raw and treated WW of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), as well as upstream and downstream from the release of WWTPs effluents into the Zenne River (Belgium). Culture-dependent methods were used to quantify Escherichia coli and heterotrophic bacteria resistant to amoxicillin, sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid and tetracycline. Six antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were quantified in both particle-attached (PAB) and free-living (FLB) bacteria. Our results showed that WWTPs efficiently removed antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) regardless of its AR profile. The ARGs levels were the highest in the hospital WW and were significantly reduced in both WWTPs. However, ARB and ARGs abundances significantly increased into the Zenne River downstream from the WWTPs outfalls. The variation in the relative abundance of ARGs through WW treatment differed depending on the WWTP, fraction, and gene considered. The sul1 and sul2 genes in PAB fraction showed significantly higher relative abundances in the effluent compared to the influent of both WWTPs. This study demonstrated that WWTPs could be hotspots for AR spread with significant impacts on receiving freshwater ecosystems. This was the first comprehensive study investigating at the same time antibiotics occurrence, fecal bacteria indicators, heterotrophic bacterial communities, and ARGs (distinguishing PAB and FLB) to assess AR levels in WW and impacts on the receiving river. | 2018 | 29730567 |