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ABSTRACT: Objectives
Effluents contain a diverse abundance of antibiotic resistance genes that augment the resistome of receiving aquatic environments. However, uncertainty remains regarding their temporal persistence, transcription and response to anthropogenic factors, such as antibiotic usage. We present a spatiotemporal study within a river catchment (River Cam, UK) that aims to determine the contribution of antibiotic resistance gene-containing effluents originating from sites of varying antibiotic usage to the receiving environment.Methods
Gene abundance in effluents (municipal hospital and dairy farm) was compared against background samples of the receiving aquatic environment (i.e. the catchment source) to determine the resistome contribution of effluents. We used metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to correlate DNA and RNA abundance and identified differentially regulated gene transcripts.Results
We found that mean antibiotic resistance gene and transcript abundances were correlated for both hospital ( ρ = 0.9, two-tailed P <0.0001) and farm ( ρ = 0.5, two-tailed P <0.0001) effluents and that two β-lactam resistance genes ( bla GES and bla OXA ) were overexpressed in all hospital effluent samples. High β-lactam resistance gene transcript abundance was related to hospital antibiotic usage over time and hospital effluents contained antibiotic residues.Conclusions
We conclude that effluents contribute high levels of antibiotic resistance genes to the aquatic environment; these genes are expressed at significant levels and are possibly related to the level of antibiotic usage at the effluent source.
SUBMITTER: Rowe WPM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5437528 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Rowe Will P M WPM Baker-Austin Craig C Verner-Jeffreys David W DW Ryan Jim J JJ Micallef Christianne C Maskell Duncan J DJ Pearce Gareth P GP Pearce Gareth P GP
The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy 20170601 6
<h4>Objectives</h4>Effluents contain a diverse abundance of antibiotic resistance genes that augment the resistome of receiving aquatic environments. However, uncertainty remains regarding their temporal persistence, transcription and response to anthropogenic factors, such as antibiotic usage. We present a spatiotemporal study within a river catchment (River Cam, UK) that aims to determine the contribution of antibiotic resistance gene-containing effluents originating from sites of varying anti ...[more]