scholarly journals Metabolically Active Prokaryotes and Actively Transcribed Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Sewer Systems: Implications for Public Health and Microbially Induced Corrosion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Morales Medina ◽  
Alessia Eramo ◽  
N. L. Fahrenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Sewer Systems ◽  
Microbially Induced Corrosion

scholarly journals Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. associated with dairy cattle and farm environment having public health significance

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 984-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Abdus Sobur ◽  
Abdullah Al Momen Sabuj ◽  
Ripon Sarker ◽  
A. M. M. Taufiqur Rahman ◽  
S. M. Lutful Kabir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
One Health ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Salmonella Spp ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
E Coli

Aim: The present study was carried out to determine load of total bacteria, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in dairy farm and its environmental components. In addition, the antibiogram profile of the isolated bacteria having public health impact was also determined along with identification of virulence and resistance genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) under a one-health approach. Materials and Methods: A total of 240 samples of six types (cow dung - 15, milk - 10, milkers' hand wash - 10, soil - 10 water - 5, and vegetables - 10) were collected from four dairy farms. For enumeration, the samples were cultured onto plate count agar, eosin methylene blue, and xylose-lysine deoxycholate agar and the isolation and identification of the E. coli and Salmonella spp. were performed based on morphology, cultural, staining, and biochemical properties followed by PCR. The pathogenic strains of E. coli stx1, stx2, and rfbO157 were also identified through PCR. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test against 12 commonly used antibiotics by disk diffusion method. Detection of antibiotic resistance genes ereA, tetA, tetB, and SHV were performed by PCR. Results: The mean total bacterial count, E. coli and Salmonella spp. count in the samples ranged from 4.54±0.05 to 8.65±0.06, 3.62±0.07 to 7.04±0.48, and 2.52±0.08 to 5.87±0.05 log colony-forming unit/g or ml, respectively. Out of 240 samples, 180 (75%) isolates of E. coli and 136 (56.67%) isolates of Salmonella spp. were recovered through cultural and molecular tests. Among the 180 E. coli isolates, 47 (26.11%) were found positive for the presence of all the three virulent genes, of which stx1 was the most prevalent (13.33%). Only three isolates were identified as enterohemorrhagic E. coli. Antibiotic sensitivity test revealed that both E. coli and Salmonella spp. were found highly resistant to azithromycin, tetracycline, erythromycin, oxytetracycline, and ertapenem and susceptible to gentamycin, ciprofloxacin, and imipenem. Among the four antibiotic resistance genes, the most observable was tetA (80.51-84.74%) in E. coli and Salmonella spp. and SHV genes were the lowest one (22.06-25%). Conclusion: Dairy farm and their environmental components carry antibiotic-resistant pathogenic E. coli and Salmonella spp. that are potential threat for human health which requires a one-health approach to combat the threat.

scholarly journals Metagenomic characterization of creek sediment microbial communities from a major agricultural region in Salinas, California

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany J. Suttner ◽  
Eric R. Johnston ◽  
Luis H. Orellana ◽  
Luis M. Rodriguez-R ◽  
Janet K. Hatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Agricultural Runoff ◽  
Public Health Risk ◽  
The Public ◽  
E Coli

ABSTRACTLittle is known about the public health risks associated with natural creek sediments that are affected by runoff and fecal pollution from agricultural and livestock practices. For instance, the persistence of foodborne pathogens originating from agricultural activities such as Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in such sediments remains poorly quantified. Towards closing these knowledge gaps, the water-sediment interface of two creeks in the Salinas River Valley was sampled over a nine-month period using metagenomics and traditional culture-based tests for STEC. Our results revealed that these sediment communities are extremely diverse and comparable to the functional and taxonomic diversity observed in soils. With our sequencing effort (~4 Gbp per library), we were unable to detect any pathogenic Escherichia coli in the metagenomes of 11 samples that had tested positive using culture-based methods, apparently due to relatively low pathogen abundance. Further, no significant differences were detected in the abundance of human- or cow-specific gut microbiome sequences compared to upstream, more pristine (control) sites, indicating natural dilution of anthropogenic inputs. Notably, a high baseline level of metagenomic reads encoding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was found in all samples and was significantly higher compared to ARG reads in metagenomes from other environments, suggesting that these communities may be natural reservoirs of ARGs. Overall, our metagenomic results revealed that creek sediments are not a major sink for anthropogenic runoff and the public health risk associated with these sediment microbial communities may be low.IMPORTANCECurrent agricultural and livestock practices contribute to fecal contamination in the environment and the spread of food and water-borne disease and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Traditionally, the level of pollution and risk to public health is assessed by culture-based tests for the intestinal bacterium, E. coli. However, the accuracy of these traditional methods (e.g., low quantification, and false positive signal when PCR-based) and their suitability for sediments remains unclear. We collected sediments for a time series metagenomics study from one of the most highly productive agricultural regions in the U.S. in order to assess how agricultural runoff affects the native microbial communities and if the presence of STEC in sediment samples can be detected directly by sequencing. Our study provided important information on the potential for using metagenomics as a tool for assessment of public health risk in natural environments.

scholarly journals Modeling and Simulation of Source Separation in Sanitation Systems for Reducing Emissions of Antimicrobial Resistances

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 3342
Author(s):  
Jörg Londong ◽  
Marcus Barth ◽  
Heinrich Söbke
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Aquatic Environment ◽  
Source Separation ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Sanitation Systems

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top ten threats to public health worldwide. In addition to public health, AMR also poses a major threat to food security and economic development. Current sanitation systems contribute to the emergence and spread of AMR and lack effective AMR mitigation measures. This study assesses source separation of blackwater as a mitigation measure against AMR. A source-separation-modified combined sanitation system with separate collection of blackwater and graywater is conceptually described. Measures taken at the source, such as the separate collection and discharge of material flows, were not considered so far on a load balance basis, i.e., they have not yet been evaluated for their effectiveness. The sanitation system described is compared with a combined system and a separate system regarding AMR emissions by means of simulation. AMR is represented in the simulation model by one proxy parameter each for antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole), antibiotic-resistant bacteria (extended-spectrum beta-lactamase E. Coli), and antibiotic resistance genes (blaTEM). The simulation results suggest that the source-separation-based sanitation system reduces emissions of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes into the aquatic environment by more than six logarithm steps compared to combined systems. Sulfamethoxazole emissions can be reduced by 75.5% by keeping blackwater separate from graywater and treating it sufficiently. In summary, sanitation systems incorporating source separation are, to date, among the most effective means of preventing the emission of AMR into the aquatic environment.

scholarly journals Metagenomics as a Public Health Risk Assessment Tool in a Study of Natural Creek Sediments Influenced by Agricultural and Livestock Runoff: Potential and Limitations

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany Suttner ◽  
Eric R. Johnston ◽  
Luis H. Orellana ◽  
Luis M. Rodriguez-R ◽  
Janet K. Hatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Shiga Toxin ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Agricultural Runoff ◽  
Public Health Risk ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT Little is known about the public health risks associated with natural creek sediments that are affected by runoff and fecal pollution from agricultural and livestock practices. For instance, the persistence of foodborne pathogens such as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) originating from these practices remains poorly quantified. Towards closing these knowledge gaps, the water-sediment interface of two creeks in the Salinas River Valley of California was sampled over a 9-month period using metagenomics and traditional culture-based tests for STEC. Our results revealed that these sediment communities are extremely diverse and have functional and taxonomic diversity comparable to that observed in soils. With our sequencing effort (∼4 Gbp per library), we were unable to detect any pathogenic E. coli in the metagenomes of 11 samples that had tested positive using culture-based methods, apparently due to relatively low abundance. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the abundance of human- or cow-specific gut microbiome sequences in the downstream impacted sites compared to that in upstream more pristine (control) sites, indicating natural dilution of anthropogenic inputs. Notably, the high number of metagenomic reads carrying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) found in all samples was significantly higher than ARG reads in other available freshwater and soil metagenomes, suggesting that these communities may be natural reservoirs of ARGs. The work presented here should serve as a guide for sampling volumes, amount of sequencing to apply, and what bioinformatics analyses to perform when using metagenomics for public health risk studies of environmental samples such as sediments. IMPORTANCE Current agricultural and livestock practices contribute to fecal contamination in the environment and the spread of food- and waterborne disease and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Traditionally, the level of pollution and risk to public health are assessed by culture-based tests for the intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli. However, the accuracy of these traditional methods (e.g., low accuracy in quantification, and false-positive signal when PCR based) and their suitability for sediments remain unclear. We collected sediments for a time series metagenomics study from one of the most highly productive agricultural regions in the United States in order to assess how agricultural runoff affects the native microbial communities and if the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in sediment samples can be detected directly by sequencing. Our study provided important information on the potential for using metagenomics as a tool for assessment of public health risk in natural environments.

scholarly journals Diversity and Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Virulence Factors, and the Microbiome in Aquaculture in Southern China Revealed by Metagenomic Sequencing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haochang Su ◽  
Wujie Xu ◽  
Xiaojuan Hu ◽  
Yu Xu ◽  
Guoliang Wen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing

Abstract Background: Microbiota carrying multiple antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs) are posing increasing risks to public health. Particularly the rapid spread of human pathogenic bacteria (HPB) with antibiotic resistance is recognized as a top health issue. The occurrence and abundance of ARGs in aquaculture have been investigated following metagenomic approaches. However, few studies have investigated the antibiotic resistome and VFs and their HPB hosts in aquaculture. Moreover, the relationships between ARGs and VFs and their microbiome in aquaculture are poorly understood. Results: The profiles of the antibiotic resistome, VFs, and HPB in aquaculture in Southern China were investigated. In total, 492 subtypes of 24 ARGs types were detected. Multidrug ARGs were most predominant, followed by macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS). Proteobacteria were the most predominant phylum carrying ARGs, followed by Firmicutes. Fifty-two HPB genera were detected. Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum, followed by Proteobacteria. Staphylococcus was the most abundant HPB genus. The samples contained 363 VFs, with Capsule being the most abundant. Seven HPB phyla, including 42 HPB genera, carried VFs, and the abundance of Bacillus was highest. The abundances of ARGs and VFs were highest in the sediment. However, the abundance of HPB was highest in shrimp guts and Staphylococcus was most abundant. Most ARGs were more prevalent on chromosomes than on plasmids. Source tracking analysis showed that the sediment was the greatest contributor to microbes carrying ARGs, VFs, and HPB in shrimp guts. Additionally, the water source contributed some of the HPB of shrimp guts. Conclusions: This study provides in-depth profiles of the abundances, diversity, distribution, and prevalence of ARGs, VFs, and their hosts HPB in aquaculture for the first time. Sediment was the most direct and important contributor to the ARGs, VFs, and HPB in the shrimp guts. The prevalence of HPB in aquaculture, particularly the high abundance of Staphylococcus in shrimp guts, poses potential risks to human health and food safety. Aquaculture water sources should be monitored and protected. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of the dissemination and hosts of ARGs and VFs for improving aquaculture management and public health surveillance.

scholarly journals Multi-site sampling and risk prioritization reveals the public health relevance of antibiotic resistance genes found in wastewater environments

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengzhen L. Dai ◽  
Claire Duvallet ◽  
An Ni Zhang ◽  
Mariana G. Matus ◽  
Newsha Ghaeli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
The Public ◽  
Risk Prioritization ◽  
Health Relevance

AbstractThe spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance across human and environmental habitats is a global public health challenge. Wastewater has been implicated as a major source of antibiotic resistance in the environment, as it carries resistant bacteria and resistance genes from humans into natural ecosystems. However, different wastewater environments and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater do not all present the same level of risk to human health. In this study, we investigate the public health relevance of antibiotic resistance found in wastewater by combining metagenomic sequencing with risk prioritization of resistance genes, analyzing samples across urban sewage system environments in multiple countries. We find that many of the resistance genes commonly found in wastewater are not readily present in humans. Ranking antibiotic resistance genes based on their potential pathogenicity and mobility reveals that most of the resistance genes in wastewater are not clinically relevant. Additionally, we show that residential wastewater resistomes pose greater risk to human health than those in wastewater treatment plant samples, and that residential wastewater can be as risky as hospital effluent. Across countries, differences in antibiotic resistance in residential wastewater can, in some cases, reflect differences in antibiotic drug consumption. Finally, we find that the flow of antibiotic resistance genes is influenced by geographical distance and environmental selection. Taken together, we demonstrate how different analytical approaches can provide greater insights into the public health relevance of antibiotic resistance in wastewater.

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