Distribution of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Three Different Natural Water Bodies-A Lake, River and Sea

Abstract

Currently, due to abuse in the use of human antibiotics and the weak regulatory control that the authorities have over sewage discharge and manure management, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have become a new type of environmental pollutant. Three different natural water bodies (Poyang Lake, Haihe River and Qingdao No.1 Bathing Beach seawater) were sampled during the same periods to conduct a longitudinal comparison of distribution. The distribution and expression of 11 ARGs in 20 species were studied, and the correlations between the expression and the distribution of time and space of the ARGs in different water bodies were also analyzed. With the exception of ermA, blaNDM-1 and vanA, which were not detected in seawater, the other ARGs could be detected in all three water bodies. Tetracycline resistance genes (tetC, tetM and tetQ) in the seawater and Haihe River had even reached 100%, and sulfa ARGs (sul1 and sul2) in the seawater and Poyang Lake, as well as sul2 and sul3 in the Haihe River, had also reached 100%. The ARG pollution in Haihe River was much more serious, since 14 and 17 of 20 ARG species were significantly higher compared with seawater and Poyang Lake, respectively. Some ARGs also had a high absolute abundance. The absolute abundance of macrolide resistance genes (ermB) in seawater was as high as 8.61 × 107 copies/L, and the anti-tuberculosis resistant genes (rpoB and katG) in the Haihe River Basin were highly abundant at 1.32 × 106 copies/L and 1.06 × 107 copies/L, respectively. This indicates that ARGs have gradually become more diverse and extensive in natural water bodies. The results of a redundancy analysis (RDA) of the three water bodies showed that although each water body is affected by different factors in space and time, overall, the presence of AGRs is closely related to the production and life of human beings and the migration of animals.

Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Saigon River Impacted by Anthropogenic Activities

“…On average, the level of bla TEM in the Saigon River was found to be about one to two orders of magnitude higher than that of bla CTX-M and bla SHV . This is consistent with some recent studies on ESBL genes in surface water, reporting that the bla TEM is one of the most frequently ESBL genes found in surface water samples, as well as in bacterial isolates from aquatic environments [37][38][39]47,49].…”

“…The sul1, sul2, and dfrA genes, which confer resistance to co-trimoxazole (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim), were among the most abundant ARGs with the ranges of 3.4 × 10 2 -4.4 × 10 7 copies/mL, 0.85 × 10 2 -3.7 × 10 7 copies/mL, and 2.7 × 10 2 -0.5 × 10 7 copies/mL respectively (Figure 1, Table S3). This is similar to some recent studies that have reported sulfamethoxazole resistance genes (e.g., sul1 and sul2) to be among the most prevalent ARGs in aquatic environments [39][40][41]. Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim have been widely used in combination with human and veterinary medicines to treat infectious diseases for more than 60 years, as the drugs are efficacious, cost-effective, and feature well-defined adverse effects.…”

Prevalence and Molecular Characterisation of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli, from Cattle Farm to Aquatic Environments

“…For NRW isolates, sul1 (100%, n = 10), sul2 (100%, n = 10), bla CTX-M (100%, n = 10), and bla OXA (100%, n = 10) were found to be the highest compared to bla TEM (80%, n = 9), while qnrS was not detected. These results confirmed the detection of many ARGs in water as reported by previous investigators who reported that aquatic environments are known to be major reservoirs of ARB and ARGs as a result of the absorption of different pollutants [64,65]. The detected ARGs in the current study are similar to some ARGs identified from cattle manure samples, which are bla CTX-M and bla TEM from faecal samples belonging to the O157 serogroup [66].…”

Occurrence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Mediterranean Sea

“…Several studies Antibiotics 2022, 11, 332 2 of 9 reported the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and/or resistance genes in different aquatic environments, such as surface waters [9,10], wastewater [11], and recreational coastal waters [12], and also in environments and animals presumably unaffected by anthropogenic factors, such as glaciers [13] and marine animals [6,14,15]. The aquatic environment can, therefore, be considered a reservoir of antibiotic resistance and the seawater as an important element that contributes to the transfer of resistance genes between bacterial species, related or not [16]. In particular, in coastal waters influenced by intense human activities and the presence of effluents and wastewater treatment plants, multi-resistant bacteria and ARGs could be essential indicators of contamination originating from the anthropogenic environment [17].…”