scholarly journals Metagenomics Reveals the Impact of Wastewater Treatment Plants on the Dispersal of Microorganisms and Genes in Aquatic Sediments

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Binh T. T. Chu ◽  
Morgan L. Petrovich ◽  
Adit Chaudhary ◽  
Dorothy Wright ◽  
Brian Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Lake Sediments ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Mobile Genetic Elements ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Treated Effluent ◽  
Receiving Water

ABSTRACT Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) release treated effluent containing mobile genetic elements (MGEs), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and microorganisms into the environment, yet little is known about their influence on nearby microbial communities and the retention of these factors in receiving water bodies. Our research aimed to characterize the genes and organisms from two different WWTPs that discharge into Lake Michigan, as well as from surrounding lake sediments to determine the dispersal and fate of these factors with respect to distance from the effluent outfall. Shotgun metagenomics coupled to distance-decay analyses showed a higher abundance of genes identical to those in WWTP effluent genes in sediments closer to outfall sites than in sediments farther away, indicating their possible WWTP origin. We also found genes attributed to organisms, such as those belonging to Helicobacteraceae , Legionellaceae , Moraxellaceae , and Neisseriaceae , in effluent from both WWTPs and decreasing in abundance in lake sediments with increased distance from WWTPs. Moreover, our results showed that the WWTPs likely influence the ARG composition in lake sediments close to the effluent discharge. Many of these ARGs were located on MGEs in both the effluent and sediment samples, indicating a relatively broad propensity for horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Our approach allowed us to specifically link genes to organisms and their genetic context, providing insight into WWTP impacts on natural microbial communities. Overall, our results suggest a substantial influence of wastewater effluent on gene content and microbial community structure in the sediments of receiving water bodies. IMPORTANCE Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) release their effluent into aquatic environments. Although treated, effluent retains many genes and microorganisms that have the potential to influence the receiving water in ways that are poorly understood. Here, we tracked the genetic footprint, including genes specific to antibiotic resistance and mobile genetic elements and their associated organisms, from WWTPs to lake sediments. Our work is novel in that we used metagenomic data sets to comprehensively evaluate total gene content and the genetic and taxonomic context of specific genes in environmental samples putatively impacted by WWTP inputs. Based on two different WWTPs with different treatment processes, our findings point to an influence of WWTPs on the presence, abundance, and composition of these factors in the environment.

The occurrence of opioid compounds in wastewater treatment plants and their receiving water bodies in Gauteng province, South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 118048
Author(s):  
Ilunga Kamika ◽  
Shohreh Azizi ◽  
Adolph A. Muleja ◽  
Ramganesh Selvarajan ◽  
Mohamed Azab El-Liethy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Gauteng Province ◽  
Receiving Water

Tool for selecting indicator substances to evaluate the impact of wastewater treatment plants on receiving water bodies

2020 ◽  
Vol 745 ◽  
pp. 140746
Author(s):  
Ira Brückner ◽  
Silke Classen ◽  
Monika Hammers-Wirtz ◽  
Kassandra Klaer ◽  
Joachim Reichert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Receiving Water

scholarly journals IncHI1A plasmids potentially facilitate a horizontal flow of antibiotic resistance genes to pathogens in microbial communities of urban residential sewage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asmus Olesen ◽  
Rafel Pinilla-Redondo ◽  
Mads Hansen ◽  
Jakob Russel ◽  
Arnaud Dechesne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Host Range ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Potential Host

Horizontal gene transfer via plasmids is important for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes among medically relevant pathogens. Specifically, the transfer of IncHI1A plasmids is believed to facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, such as carbapenemases, within the clinically important family Enterobacteriaceae. The microbial community of urban wastewater treatment plants has been shown to be highly permissive towards conjugal transfer of IncP1 plasmids. Here, we tracked the transfer of the P1 plasmid pB10 and the clinically relevant HI1A plasmid R27 in the microbial communities present in urban residential sewage entering full-scale wastewater treatment plants. We found that both plasmids readily transferred to these communities and that strains in the sewage were able to further disseminate them. Furthermore, that R27 has a broad potential host range, but a low host divergence. Interestingly, although the majority of R27 transfer events were to members of Enterobacteriaceae, we found a subset of transfer to other families, even other phyla. Indicating, that HI1A plasmids facilitate horizontal gene transfer both within Enterobacteriaceae, but also across families of especially Gammaproteobacteria, such as Moraxellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae and Shewanellaceae. pB10 displayed a similar potential host range as R27. In contrast to R27, pB10 had a high host divergence. By cultivative enrichment of the transconjugant communities, we show that sewage strains of Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonadaceae can stably maintain R27 and pB10, respectively. Our results suggest that dissemination in the urban residual water system of HI1A plasmids may result in an accelerated acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens.

scholarly journals Genomic Surveillance ofEnterococcus faeciumReveals Limited Sharing of Strains and Resistance Genes between Livestock and Humans in the United Kingdom

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore Gouliouris ◽  
Kathy E. Raven ◽  
Catherine Ludden ◽  
Beth Blane ◽  
Jukka Corander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Retail Meat ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant

ABSTRACTVancomycin-resistantEnterococcus faecium(VREfm) is a major cause of nosocomial infection and is categorized as high priority by the World Health Organization global priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In the past, livestock have been proposed as a putative reservoir for drug-resistantE. faeciumstrains that infect humans, and isolates of the same lineage have been found in both reservoirs. We undertook cross-sectional surveys to isolateE. faecium(including VREfm) from livestock farms, retail meat, and wastewater treatment plants in the United Kingdom. More than 600 isolates from these sources were sequenced, and their relatedness and antibiotic resistance genes were compared with genomes of almost 800E. faeciumisolates from patients with bloodstream infection in the United Kingdom and Ireland.E. faeciumwas isolated from 28/29 farms; none of these isolates were VREfm, suggesting a decrease in VREfm prevalence since the last UK livestock survey in 2003. However, VREfm was isolated from 1% to 2% of retail meat products and was ubiquitous in wastewater treatment plants. Phylogenetic comparison demonstrated that the majority of human and livestock-related isolates were genetically distinct, although pig isolates from three farms were more genetically related to human isolates from 2001 to 2004 (minimum of 50 single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]). Analysis of accessory (variable) genes added further evidence for distinct niche adaptation. An analysis of acquired antibiotic resistance genes and their variants revealed limited sharing between humans and livestock. Our findings indicate that the majority ofE. faeciumstrains infecting patients are largely distinct from those from livestock in this setting, with limited sharing of strains and resistance genes.IMPORTANCEThe rise in rates of human infection caused by vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus faecium(VREfm) strains between 1988 to the 2000s in Europe was suggested to be associated with acquisition from livestock. As a result, the European Union banned the use of the glycopeptide drug avoparcin as a growth promoter in livestock feed. While some studies reported a decrease in VREfm in livestock, others reported no reduction. Here, we report the first livestock VREfm prevalence survey in the UK since 2003 and the first large-scale study using whole-genome sequencing to investigate the relationship betweenE. faeciumstrains in livestock and humans. We found a low prevalence of VREfm in retail meat and limited evidence for recent sharing of strains between livestock and humans with bloodstream infection. There was evidence for limited sharing of genes encoding antibiotic resistance between these reservoirs, a finding which requires further research.

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