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

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 ope...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2018-06, Vol.6, p.e4989-e4989, Article e4989
Main Authors: Paul, Christophe, Bayrychenko, Zhanna, Junier, Thomas, Filippidou, Sevasti, Beck, Karin, Bueche, Matthieu, Greub, Gilbert, Bürgmann, Helmut, Junier, Pilar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics
Aquatic ecosystems
ARG
Bacteria
Community composition
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Dispersal
DNA
Drinking water
Drug resistance
Ecotoxicology
Environmental Impacts
Firmicutes
Freshwater Biology
Genes
Microbiology
Microbiomes
Microbiota
Public Health
Sediments
Seed bank
sul1
Sulfonamides
tet(W)
Wastewater
Water treatment
WWTP
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Summary: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 (W) and 1, 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 was identified as a potential specific vector for the dissemination of (W), due to a strong correlation with (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.
ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.4989