Enhanced removal of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements during sewage sludge composting covered with a semi-permeable membrane

[Display omitted] •Particulate matter has positive effect on ARG abundances in composting-end products.•smTC was more efficient at decreasing ARGs and MGEs than cTC.•smTC could reduce the abundance and diversity of ARGs host. Transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via air media, such as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of hazardous materials 2020-09, Vol.396, p.122738, Article 122738
Main Authors: Cui, Peng, Bai, Yudan, Li, Xi, Peng, Zhiwei, Chen, Donghua, Wu, Zhubiao, Zhang, Peijie, Tan, Zhihan, Huang, Kailong, Chen, Zhi, Liao, Hanpeng, Zhou, Shungui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Antibiotic resistance genes
Composting
Drug Resistance, Microbial - genetics
Genes, Bacterial
Humans
Interspersed Repetitive Sequences
Manure
Particulate matter
Semi-permeable membrane
Sewage
Thermophilic composting
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Particulate matter has positive effect on ARG abundances in composting-end products.•smTC was more efficient at decreasing ARGs and MGEs than cTC.•smTC could reduce the abundance and diversity of ARGs host. Transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via air media, such as particulate matter, has been intensively investigated due to human exposure through inhalation. However, whether particulate matter originating from the atmospheric environment of composting plants can impact ARG abundance during composting is unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of the atmospheric environment of composting plants on ARG abundance during sewage sludge composting using semi-permeable membrane-covered thermophilic composting (smTC) and conventional thermophilic composting (cTC). After smTC treatment, the total abundances of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) decreased by 42.1 % and 38.1 % compared with those of the initial phase, respectively, but they increased by 4.5- and 1.6-fold after cTC, respectively. This result suggested that smTC was more efficient at decreasing ARGs and MGEs than cTC, mainly due to a significant reduction in bacterial contamination from the atmospheric environment of composting plants that accelerated the resurgence of ARGs and MGEs. Furthermore, culture experiments demonstrated that the abundance and diversity of antibiotic-resistant bacteria during the mature phase of smTC were also significantly (P 
ISSN:0304-3894
1873-3336
DOI:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122738