scholarly journals High levels of antibiotic resistance gene expression among birds living in a wastewater treatment plant

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa R. Marcelino ◽  
Michelle Wille ◽  
Aeron C. Hurt ◽  
Daniel González-Acuña ◽  
Marcel Klaassen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Gene ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Gene ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Chloramphenicol Resistance

AbstractAntibiotic resistance is rendering common bacterial infections untreatable. Wildlife can incorporate and disperse antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment, such as water systems, which in turn serve as reservoirs of resistance genes for human pathogens. We used bulk RNA-sequencing (meta-transcriptomics) to assess the diversity and expression levels of functionally active resistance genes in the microbiome of birds with aquatic behavior. We sampled birds across a range of habitats, from penguins in Antarctica to ducks in a wastewater treatment plant in Australia. This revealed 81 antibiotic resistance genes in birds from all localities, including β-lactam, tetracycline and chloramphenicol resistance in Antarctica, and genes typically associated with multidrug resistance plasmids in areas with high human impact. Notably, birds feeding at a wastewater treatment plant carried the greatest resistance gene burden, suggesting that human waste, even if it undergoes treatment, contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes to the wild. Differences in resistance gene burden also reflected the birds’ ecology, taxonomic group and microbial functioning. Ducks, which feed by dabbling, carried a higher abundance and diversity of resistance genes than turnstones, avocets and penguins, that usually prey on more pristine waters. In sum, this study helps to reveal the complex factors explaining the distribution of resistance genes and their exchange routes between humans and wildlife.

scholarly journals Detection of 140 clinically relevant antibiotic-resistance genes in the plasmid metagenome of wastewater treatment plant bacteria showing reduced susceptibility to selected antibiotics

Microbiology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 155 (7) ◽  
pp. 2306-2319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Szczepanowski ◽  
Burkhard Linke ◽  
Irene Krahn ◽  
Karl-Heinz Gartemann ◽  
Tim Gützkow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Gene ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Small Multidrug Resistance ◽  
Specific Pcr Primer

To detect plasmid-borne antibiotic-resistance genes in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) bacteria, 192 resistance-gene-specific PCR primer pairs were designed and synthesized. Subsequent PCR analyses on total plasmid DNA preparations obtained from bacteria of activated sludge or the WWTP's final effluents led to the identification of, respectively, 140 and 123 different resistance-gene-specific amplicons. The genes detected included aminoglycoside, β-lactam, chloramphenicol, fluoroquinolone, macrolide, rifampicin, tetracycline, trimethoprim and sulfonamide resistance genes as well as multidrug efflux and small multidrug resistance genes. Some of these genes were only recently described from clinical isolates, demonstrating genetic exchange between clinical and WWTP bacteria. Sequencing of selected resistance-gene-specific amplicons confirmed their identity or revealed that the amplicon nucleotide sequence is very similar to a gene closely related to the reference gene used for primer design. These results demonstrate that WWTP bacteria are a reservoir for various resistance genes. Moreover, detection of about 64 % of the 192 reference resistance genes in bacteria obtained from the WWTP's final effluents indicates that these resistance determinants might be further disseminated in habitats downstream of the sewage plant.

scholarly journals Release of Antibiotic-Resistance Genes from Hospitals and a Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2733
Author(s):  
Ocean Thakali ◽  
Bikash Malla ◽  
Sarmila Tandukar ◽  
Niva Sthapit ◽  
Sunayana Raya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Kathmandu Valley

Hospitals and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are high-risk point sources of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study investigates the occurrence of clinically relevant ARGs (sul1, tet(B), blaCTX-M, blaNDM-1, qnrS) and a class one integron (intI1) gene in urban rivers, hospitals, and municipal wastewater in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Twenty-five water samples were collected from three rivers, six hospitals, and a wastewater treatment plant to determine the concentrations of ARGs and intI1 using quantitative polymerase chain reactions. From the results, all tested ARGs were detected in the river water; also, concentrations of ARGs in WWTP and hospital effluents varied from 6.2 to 12.5 log10 copies/L, highlighting the role of a WWTP and hospitals in the dissemination of ARGs. Except for blaNDM-1, significant positive correlations were found between intI1 and other individual ARGs (r = 0.71–0.96, p < 0.05), indicating the probable implications of intI1 in the transfer of ARGs. Furthermore, this study supports the statement that the blaNDM-1 gene is most likely to be spread in the environment through untreated hospital wastewater. Due to the interaction of surface water and groundwater, future research should focus on ARGs and factors associated with the increase/decrease in their concentration levels in drinking water sources of the Kathmandu Valley.

scholarly journals Metagenomic Community Composition and Resistome Analysis in a Full-scale Cold Climate Wastewater Treatment Plant

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Uyaguari
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Gene Copies ◽  
Final Effluent

Abstract Background: Wastewater treatment plants are an essential part of maintaining the health and safety of the general public. However, they are also an anthropogenic source of antibiotic resistance genes. In this study, we characterized the resistome, the distribution of classes 1-3 integron-integrase genes (intI1, intI2, and intI3) as mobile genetic element biomarkers, and the bacterial and phage community compositions in the North End Sewage Treatment Plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Samples were collected from raw sewage, returned activated sludge, final effluent, and dewatered sludge. A total of 28 bacterial and viral metagenomes were sequenced over two seasons, fall and winter. Integron-integrase genes, the 16S rRNA gene, and the coliform beta-glucuronidase gene were also quantified during this time period. Results: Bacterial classes observed above 1% relative abundance in all treatments were Actinobacteria (39.24% ± 0.25%), Beta-proteobacteria (23.99% ± 0.16%), Gamma-proteobacteria (11.06% ± 0.09%), and Alpha-proteobacteria (9.18 ± 0.04%). Families within the Caudovirales order: Siphoviridae (48.69% ± 0.10%), Podoviridae (23.99% ± 0.07%), and Myoviridae (19.94% ± 0.09%) were the dominant phage observed throughout the NESTP. The most abundant bacterial genera (in terms of average percent relative abundance) in influent, returned activated sludge, final effluent, and sludge, respectively, includes Mycobacterium (37.4%, 18.3%, 46.1%, and 7.7%), Acidovorax (8.9%, 10.8%, 5.4%, and 1.3%), and Polaromonas (2.5%, 3.3%, 1.4%, and 0.4%).The most abundant class of antibiotic resistance in bacterial samples was tetracycline resistance (17.86% ± 0.03%) followed by peptide antibiotics (14.24% ± 0.03%), and macrolides (10.63% ± 0.02%). Similarly, the phage samples contained a higher prevalence of macrolide (30.12% ± 0.30%), peptide antibiotic (10.78% ± 0.13%), and tetracycline (8.69% ± 0.11%) resistance. In addition, intI1 was the most abundant integron-integrase gene throughout treatment (1.14x104 gene copies/mL) followed by intI3 (4.97x103 gene copies/mL) while intI2 abundance remained low (6.4x101 gene copies/mL).Conclusions: The wastewater treatment plant successfully reduced the abundance of bacteria, DNA bacteriophages, and antibiotic resistance genes although many of them still remained in effluent and biosolids. The presence of integron-integrase genes throughout treatment and in effluent suggests that antibiotic resistance genes could be actively disseminating resistance between both environmental and pathogenic bacteria.

scholarly journals Accumulation and expression of multiple antibiotic resistance genes in Arcobacter cryaerophilus that thrives in sewage

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jess A. Millar ◽  
Rahul Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Resistant Bacteria

We explored the bacterial diversity of untreated sewage influent samples of a wastewater treatment plant in Tucson, AZ and discovered that Arcobacter cryaerophilus, an emerging human pathogen of animal origin, was the most dominant bacterium. The other highly prevalent bacteria were members of the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, which are major constituents of human gut microbiome, indicating that bacteria of human and animal origin intermingle in sewage. By assembling a near-complete genome of A. cryaerophilus, we show that the bacterium has accumulated a large number of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) probably enabling it to thrive in the wastewater. We also determined that a majority of ARGs was being expressed in sewage, suggestive of trace levels of antibiotics or other stresses that could act as a selective force that amplifies multidrug resistant bacteria in municipal sewage. Because all bacteria are not eliminated even after several rounds of wastewater treatment, ARGs in sewage could affect public health due to their potential to contaminate environmental water.

scholarly journals Antibiotic Resistance Genes Dynamics at the Different Stages of the Biological Process in a Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plant

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna Zerva ◽  
Ioanna Alexandropoulou ◽  
Maria Panopoulou ◽  
Paraschos Melidis ◽  
Spyridon Ntougias
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Biological Process ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Additional Treatment ◽  
Full Scale

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) highly contribute to the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. In this work, the diversity of ermF, ermB, sul1 and int1-enconding genes was examined in the influent, the mixed liquor and the effluent of a full-scale WWTP. Based on the clones analyzed, similar genotypes were recorded at all process stages. However, distinct genotypes of int1 were responsible for the expression of sul1 and ermF genes in Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, respectively. Due to the detection of similar ARGs profiles throughout the biological process, it is concluded that additional treatment is needed for their retention.

scholarly journals Identification of Selected Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Two Different Wastewater Treatment Plant Systems in Poland: A Preliminary Study

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 2851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Pazda ◽  
Magda Rybicka ◽  
Stefan Stolte ◽  
Krzysztof Piotr Bielawski ◽  
Piotr Stepnowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Resistance Determinants ◽  
Final Effluent

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem worldwide. The emergence and rapid spread of antibiotic resistance determinants have led to an increasing concern about the potential environmental and public health endangering. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an important role in this phenomenon since antibacterial drugs introduced into wastewater can exert a selection pressure on antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Therefore, WWTPs are perceived as the main sources of antibiotics, ARB and ARG spread in various environmental components. Furthermore, technological processes used in WWTPs and its exploitation conditions may influence the effectiveness of antibiotic resistance determinants’ elimination. The main aim of the present study was to compare the occurrence of selected tetracycline and sulfonamide resistance genes in raw influent and final effluent samples from two WWTPs different in terms of size and applied biological wastewater treatment processes (conventional activated sludge (AS)-based and combining a conventional AS-based method with constructed wetlands (CWs)). All 13 selected ARGs were detected in raw influent and final effluent samples from both WWTPs. Significant ARG enrichment, especially for tet(B, K, L, O) and sulIII genes, was observed in conventional WWTP. The obtained data did not show a clear trend in seasonal fluctuations in the abundance of selected resistance genes in wastewaters.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document