Assessing Visitor Use Impact on Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Soil and Water Environments of Rocky Mountain National Park

ABSTRACTThe treatment of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is one of the great challenges faced by clinicians in the 21st century. Antibiotic resistance genes are often transferred between bacteria by mobile genetic vectors called plasmids. It is commonly believed that removal of antibiotic pressure will reduce the numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to the perception that carriage of resistance imposes a fitness cost on the bacterium. This study investigated the ability of the plasmid pCT, a globally distributed plasmid that carries an extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL) resistance gene (blaCTX-M-14), to persist and disseminate in the absence of antibiotic pressure. We investigated key attributes in plasmid success, including conjugation frequencies, bacterial-host growth rates, ability to cause infection, and impact on the fitness of host strains. We also determined the contribution of theblaCTX-M-14gene itself to the biology of the plasmid and host bacterium. Carriage of pCT was found to impose no detectable fitness cost on various bacterial hosts. An absence of antibiotic pressure and inactivation of the antibiotic resistance gene also had no effect on plasmid persistence, conjugation frequency, or bacterial-host biology. In conclusion, plasmids such as pCT have evolved to impose little impact on host strains. Therefore, the persistence of antibiotic resistance genes and their vectors is to be expected in the absence of antibiotic selective pressure regardless of antibiotic stewardship. Other means to reduce plasmid stability are needed to prevent the persistence of these vectors and the antibiotic resistance genes they carry.

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Technologies in Wastewater Treatment Plants for the Removal of Antibiotics, Resistant Bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: a Review of the Current Literature

Ingenieria y Universidad ◽

10.11144/javeriana.iyu26.twtp ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Camila Zapata Zúñiga ◽

Miguel Angel Parra-Pérez ◽

Johan Alexander Álvarez-Berrio ◽

Nidia Isabel Molina-Gómez

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Resistance Genes ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria ◽

Antibiotic Resistant ◽

Treatment Processes

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of technologies for removing antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their antibiotic resistance genes, and the countries where they have been developed. For this purpose, was conducted a systematic review to identify the tertiary treatments to remove the above-mentioned pollutants. The ScienceDirect and Scopus databases were used as sources of information, taking into account only experimental research from 2006 to 2019 and technologies with removal rates higher than 70% to the information analyses. From the analysis of 9 technologies evaluated, in a set of 47 investigations, photo-Fenton, and electrochemical treatments were found to be the most efficient in the removal of antibiotics; gamma radiation and photocatalysis with TiO2 and UV revealed better results in the removal of resistant microbial agents and their resistance genes, with efficiencies of 99.9%. As one of the largest producers and consumers of antibiotics, China appears to be the country with the most scientific research on the area. The importance of innovation in wastewater treatment processes to achieve better results in the remotion of antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and their resistance genes is highlighted, given the effects on the aquatic ecosystems and public health.

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