Article 25fa states that the author of a short scientific work funded either wholly or partially by Dutch public funds is entitled to make that work publicly available for no consideration following a reasonable period of time after the work was first published, provided that clear reference is made to the source of the first publication of the work.This publication is distributed under The Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) 'Article 25fa implementation' project. In this project research outputs of researchers employed by Dutch Universities that comply with the legal requirements of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act are distributed online and free of cost or other barriers in institutional repositories. Research outputs are distributed six months after their first online publication in the original published version and with proper attribution to the source of the original publication.

The aim of this study was to evaluate wastewater for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) and 16S rRNA methylase-producing Gram-negative bacteria (MPB) and to assess their occurrence following wastewater treatment. Wastewater samples were collected between June 2015 and March 2016 in the sewage network of the city of Basel (Switzerland) from sites located before and after influx of wastewater from the hospital into the sewage network. Samples were also obtained from the influent and effluent of the receiving wastewater treatment plant. Samples were screened for CPE and MPB using selective media. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were typed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Carbapenemase and 16S rRNA methylase genes were identified by PCR and sequencing. Resistance profiles were determined by the disk diffusion test and Etest. The occurrence of CPE and MPB was increased downstream of hospital wastewater influx. Of 49 CPE isolates, 9 belonged to OXA-48-producing E. coli clone D:ST38, 7 were OXA-48-producing Citrobacter freundii, and 6 were KPC-2- or OXA-48-producing K. pneumoniae belonging to clonal complex 258. NDM (NDM-1, -5 and -9) and VIM (VIM-1) producers were detected sporadically. MPB included ArmA- and RmtB-producing E. coli and Citrobacter spp. Isolates corresponding to strains from wastewater were detected in the effluent of the treatment plant. Conclusively, CPE and MPB, predominantly OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae, are readily detected in wastewater, survive wastewater treatment and are released into the aquatic environment. OXA-48-producers may represent an emerging threat to public health and environmental integrity.

To obtain a reference status prior to cultivation of genetically modified oilseed rape (OSR, Brassica napus L.) in Switzerland, the occurrence of feral OSR was monitored along transportation routes and at processing sites. The focus was set on the detection of (transgenic) OSR along railway lines from the Swiss borders with Italy and France to the respective oilseed processing factories in Southern and Northern Switzerland (Ticino and region of Basel). A monitoring concept was developed to identify sites of largest risk of escape of genetically modified plants into the environment in Switzerland. Transport spillage of OSR seeds from railway goods cars particularly at risk hot spots such as switch yards and (un)loading points but also incidental and continuous spillage were considered. All OSR plants, including their hybridization partners which were collected at the respective monitoring sites were analyzed for the presence of transgenes by real-time PCR. On sampling lengths each of 4.2 and 5.7 km, respectively, 461 and 1,574 plants were sampled in Ticino and the region of Basel. OSR plants were found most frequently along the routes to the oilseed facilities, and in larger amounts on risk hot spots compared to sites of random sampling. At three locations in both monitored regions, transgenic B. napus line GT73 carrying the glyphosate resistance transgenes gox and CP4 epsps were detected (Ticino, 22 plants; in the region of Basel, 159).

No abstract