Dataset Information

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes associated with the sporobiota in sediments impacted by wastewater.

ABSTRACT: Aquatic ecosystems serve as a dissemination pathway and a reservoir of both antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG). In this study, we investigate the role of the bacterial sporobiota to act as a vector for ARG dispersal in aquatic ecosystems. The sporobiota was operationally defined as the resilient fraction of the bacterial community withstanding a harsh extraction treatment eliminating the easily lysed fraction of the total bacterial community. The sporobiota has been identified as a critical component of the human microbiome, and therefore potentially a key element in the dissemination of ARG in human-impacted environments. A region of Lake Geneva in which the accumulation of ARG in the sediments has been previously linked to the deposition of treated wastewater was selected to investigate the dissemination of tet(W) and sul1, two genes conferring resistance to tetracycline and sulfonamide, respectively. Analysis of the abundance of these ARG within the sporobiome (collection of genes of the sporobiota) and correlation with community composition and environmental parameters demonstrated that ARG can spread across the environment with the sporobiota being the dispersal vector. A highly abundant OTU affiliated with the genus Clostridium was identified as a potential specific vector for the dissemination of tet(W), due to a strong correlation with tet(W) frequency (ARG copy numbers/ng DNA). The high dispersal rate, long-term survival, and potential reactivation of the sporobiota constitute a serious concern in terms of dissemination and persistence of ARG in the environment.

SUBMITTER: Paul C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6015491 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes associated with the sporobiota in sediments impacted by wastewater.

Paul Christophe C Bayrychenko Zhanna Z Junier Thomas T Filippidou Sevasti S Beck Karin K Bueche Matthieu M Greub Gilbert G Bürgmann Helmut H Junier Pilar P

PeerJ 20180620

Aquatic ecosystems serve as a dissemination pathway and a reservoir of both antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG). In this study, we investigate the role of the bacterial sporobiota to act as a vector for ARG dispersal in aquatic ecosystems. The sporobiota was operationally defined as the resilient fraction of the bacterial community withstanding a harsh extraction treatment eliminating the easily lysed fraction of the total bacterial community. The sporobiota ...[more]

PMID: 29942682

Similar Datasets

Project description:The sewer environment is a potential hotspot for the proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and other hazardous microbial agents. Understanding the potential for ARG proliferation and retardation and/or accumulation in sewer sediments is of interest for protecting the health of sewage workers and the broader community in the event of sewer overflows as well as for interpreting sewage epidemiology data. To better understand this understudied environment for antibiotic resistance, a field survey was conducted to identify the factors that may control ARGs in sewer sediments and sewage. qPCR was performed for select ARGs and amplicon sequencing was performed for paired samples from combined and separate sanitary sewer systems. Metagenomic sequencing was performed on combined sewer sediments. The relative abundances of sul1, tet(O), tet(W), ermF, and vanA were higher in wastewater compared to sewer sediments, while NDM-1 was greater in sewer sediment and ermF was similar between the two matrices. NDM-1 was observed in sewer sediment but rarely above detection in wastewater in this study. This may indicate that larger/more frequent wastewater samples are needed for detection and/or that retardation and/or accumulation in sewage sediment may need to be considered when interpreting wastewater-based epidemiology data for ARGs. Random forest analyses indicated that season and conductivity were important variables and to a lesser extent so were pH, TSS, heavy metals, and sewer type for explaining the variance of the ARGs. These variables explained the 19-61% of the variance of sul1, tet(O), tet(G), and tet(W) quantified in wastewater. These variables performed less well for explaining the variance in sewer sediments (0.2-24%). Sewer sediment and wastewater had distinct microbial community structures and biomarkers for each are described. Metagenomics indicated that a high diversity of ARGs, including several of medical importance, were observed in the combined sewer sediment. This work provides insight into the complex sewer microbiome and the potential hazard posed by different sewer matrices.

Project description:Environments polluted by direct discharges of effluents from antibiotic manufacturing are important reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which could potentially be transferred to human pathogens. However, our knowledge about the identity and diversity of ARGs in such polluted environments remains limited. We applied functional metagenomics to explore the resistome of two Croatian antibiotic manufacturing effluents and sediments collected upstream of and at the effluent discharge sites. Metagenomic libraries built from an azithromycin-production site were screened for resistance to macrolide antibiotics, whereas the libraries from a site producing veterinary antibiotics were screened for resistance to sulfonamides, tetracyclines, trimethoprim, and beta-lactams. Functional analysis of eight libraries identified a total of 82 unique, often clinically relevant ARGs, which were frequently found in clusters and flanked by mobile genetic elements. The majority of macrolide resistance genes identified from matrices exposed to high levels of macrolides were similar to known genes encoding ribosomal protection proteins, macrolide phosphotransferases, and transporters. Potentially novel macrolide resistance genes included one most similar to a 23S rRNA methyltransferase from Clostridium and another, derived from upstream unpolluted sediment, to a GTPase HflX from Emergencia. In libraries deriving from sediments exposed to lower levels of veterinary antibiotics, we found 8 potentially novel ARGs, including dihydrofolate reductases and beta-lactamases from classes A, B, and D. In addition, we detected 7 potentially novel ARGs in upstream sediment, including thymidylate synthases, dihydrofolate reductases, and class D beta-lactamase. Taken together, in addition to finding known gene types, we report the discovery of novel and diverse ARGs in antibiotic-polluted industrial effluents and sediments, providing a qualitative basis for monitoring the dispersal of ARGs from environmental hotspots such as discharge sites of pharmaceutical effluents.

Dataset Information

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes associated with the sporobiota in sediments impacted by wastewater.

Publications

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes associated with the sporobiota in sediments impacted by wastewater.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure