Relationship between antibiotic resistance genes and metals in residential soil samples from Western Australia

Abstract

Increasing drug-resistant infections have drawn research interest towards examining environmental bacteria and the discovery that many factors, including elevated metal conditions, contribute to proliferation of antibiotic resistance (AR). This study examined 90 garden soils from Western Australia to evaluate predictions of antibiotic resistance genes from total metal conditions by comparing the concentrations of 12 metals and 13 genes related to tetracycline, beta-lactam and sulphonamide resistance. Relationships existed between metals and genes, but trends varied. All metals, except Se and Co, were related to at least one AR gene in terms of absolute gene numbers, but only Al, Mn and Pb were associated with a higher percentage of soil bacteria exhibiting resistance, which is a possible indicator of population selection. Correlations improved when multiple factors were considered simultaneously in a multiple linear regression model, suggesting the possibility of additive effects occurring. Soil-metal concentrations must be considered when determining risks of AR in the environment and the proliferation of resistance.

Copper tolerance and antibiotic resistance in soil bacteria from olive tree agricultural fields routinely treated with copper compounds

“…There is a long history of metals, including Cu and Zn, being linked to antibiotic resistance development in environmental bacteria, with many studies showing a correlation between the presence of either of these two metals in environmental samples and the concomitant presence of metal‐tolerant and antibiotic‐resistant populations, or the increased prevalence of antibiotic‐resistant genes/organisms in metal‐contaminated versus metal‐free environments . Moreover, the impact of Cu on antimicrobial resistance is higher compared with other metals …”

“…34,35 There is a long history of metals, including Cu and Zn, being linked to antibiotic resistance development in environmental bacteria, with many studies showing a correlation between the presence of either of these two metals in environmental samples and the concomitant presence of metal-tolerant and antibiotic-resistant populations, or the increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant genes/organisms in metal-contaminated versus metal-free environments. 18,19,36 Moreover, the impact of Cu on antimicrobial resistance is higher compared with other metals. 37,38 According to results from the present study, most olive farm soils had low Cu concentrations with an average of 15 mg kg −1 (which would be equivalent to approximately between 0.2 and 0.3 mmol L −1 Cu) and only two soils had higher concentrations of 78 mg kg −1 (ca 1.1-1.4 mmol L −1 ) and 129 mg kg −1 (ca 1.8-2.4 mmol L −1 ).…”

Can the legacy of industrial pollution influence antimicrobial resistance in estuarine sediments?

“…While most evidence is found in areas of elevated human impact, correlations have been found in more "pristine", or baseline environmental levels, as well (Knapp et al 2011(Knapp et al , 2017. The driving force (as mentioned previously) is believed to result from co-and cross-selection processes (Ashbolt et al 2013;Baker-Austin et al 2006;Berg et al 2010;Perry and Wright 2013).…”

“…It is no longer acceptable to state that AMR solely prevails from the selective pressures of antibiotics. Anthropogenic pollution "stress" and geochemical conditions promote genetic dissemination by cross and or co-resistance (Knapp et al 2017;Ashbolt et al 2013;Berg et al 2010;Wright et al 2006). As such, in this review, we examine the factors that contribute to antimicrobial resistance in environmental bacteria and whether pollution conditions in the estuarine environment could have an impact.…”

Synthesis and Bioactivity of Silver Nanoparticles Against Bacteria (<i>E. coli</i> and <i>Enterococcus sp. </i>) Isolated from Kalamu River, Kinshasa City, Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…We have to note that the environment acts both as a reservoir of resistance traits and a bioreactor containing chemical stressors and opportunities for genetic exchange. The potential for these traits to disseminate to clinically relevant pathogens becomes a consequence [40].…”