The Role of Urban Wastewater in the Environmental Transmission of Antimicrobial Resistance: The Current Situation in Italy (2010–2019)

Scientific studies show that urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTP) are among the main sources of release of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) into the environment, representing a risk to human health. This review summarizes selected publications from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019, with particular attention to the presence and treatment of ARG and ARB in UWWTPs in Italy. Following a brief introduction, the review is divided into three sections: (i) phenotypic assessment (ARB) and (ii) genotypic assessment (ARG) of resistant microorganisms, and (iii) wastewater treatment processes. Each article was read entirely to extract the year of publication, the geographical area of the UWWTP, the ARB and ARG found, and the type of disinfection treatment used. Among the ARB, we focused on the antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococci in UWWTP. The results show that the information presented in the literature to date is not exhaustive; therefore, future scientific studies at the national level are needed to better understand the spread of ARB and ARG, and also to develop new treatment methods to reduce this spread.

Download Full-text

Neighbor urban wastewater treatment plants display distinct profiles of bacterial community and antibiotic resistance genes

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-019-04546-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (11) ◽

pp. 11269-11278 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Telma Fernandes ◽

Ivone Vaz-Moreira ◽

Célia M. Manaia

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Bacterial Community ◽

Resistance Genes ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Urban Wastewater ◽

Urban Wastewater Treatment

Download Full-text

Drug resistance in airborne bacteria isolated from waste management and wastewater treatment plants in Olsztyn

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201910000066 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 100 ◽

pp. 00066 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jacek Potorski ◽

Izabela Koniuszewska ◽

Małgorzata Czatzkowska ◽

Monika Harnisz

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Waste Management ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Bacterial Strains ◽

Bacterial Counts ◽

Air Samples ◽

Processing Line

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and municipal waste management plants (MWMPs) emit bioaerosols containing potentially pathogenic biological components which post a threat for human health. Microbiological monitoring supports evaluations of the antibiotic resistance (AR) of airborne microorganisms and the relevant health risks. The aim of this study was to analyze the microbiological quality of air sampled in a WWTP and MWMP in Olsztyn based on total bacterial counts, the presence of bacteria resistant to three antibiotic classes (beta-lactams, tetracyclines and chloramphenicol) and genes encoding resistance to these antibiotics (blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCMY-2, blaAmpC, tet(M), tet(A), tet(X), tet(B), cmlA, floR, fexA, fexB and catA1 ). Bacterial counts were higher in air samples collected from the MWMP (~104 CFU/m3) than from the WWTP (101–103 CFU/m3). A similar trend was noted in the counts of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB). The abundance of ARB did not exceed 1.7 x 102 CFU/m3 in WWTP samples, but was higher at up to 4.2 x 103 CFU/m3 in MWMP samples. Bacteria resistant to doxycycline were least prevalent in the analyzed ARB. In the group of 49 tested bacterial strains, 44 harbored at least one of the analyzed antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). A comparison of ARGs in all bacterial strains isolated from WWTP and MWMP air samples revealed the highest diversity and prevalence of ARGs in the samples collected in the mechanical segment of the waste processing line in MWMP and the biological segment of the wastewater processing line in WWTP. The results of this study point to high microbiological contamination of air in MWMPs and WWTPs which are reservoirs of ARB and ARGs and potential sources of AR.

Download Full-text

Clinical class 1 integron-integrase gene – A promising indicator to monitor the abundance and elimination of antibiotic resistance genes in an urban wastewater treatment plant

Environment International ◽

10.1016/j.envint.2019.105372 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 135 ◽

pp. 105372 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Wanlin Zheng ◽

Jiaoqi Huyan ◽

Zhe Tian ◽

Yu Zhang ◽

Xianghua Wen

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Resistance Genes ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Urban Wastewater ◽

Class 1 Integron ◽

Integrase Gene ◽

Class 1 ◽

Urban Wastewater Treatment

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text

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

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25122851 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (12) ◽

pp. 2851 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

Download Full-text