Elimination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes by earthworms during vermifiltration treatment of excess sludge

Vermifiltration (VF) and a conventional biofilter (BF, no earthworm) were investigated by metagenomics to evaluate the removal rates of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and class 1 integron-integrase ( intI 1), as well as the impact mechanism in combination wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science and pollution research international 2024-01, Vol.31 (5), p.7853-7871
Main Authors: Xing, Meiyan, Zhao, Ran, Yang, Gege, Li, Zhan, Sun, Yuzhu, Xue, Zitao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics
Aquatic Pollution
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Bacteria
Biofilters
Biological activity
Chemical oxygen demand
Drug resistance
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecotoxicology
Environment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Health
Environmental science
Genes
Integrase
Metagenomics
Microorganisms
Oligochaeta
Pathogens
Pollution control
Research Article
Sewage treatment plants
Sludge
Waste Water Technology
Wastewater treatment plants
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water treatment
Worms
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Summary:Vermifiltration (VF) and a conventional biofilter (BF, no earthworm) were investigated by metagenomics to evaluate the removal rates of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and class 1 integron-integrase ( intI 1), as well as the impact mechanism in combination with the microbial community. According to the findings of qPCR and metagenomics, the VF facilitated greater removal rates of ARGs (78.83% ± 17.37%) and ARB (48.23% ± 2.69%) than the BF (56.33% ± 14.93%, 20.21% ± 6.27%). Compared to the control, the higher biological activity of the VF induced an increase of over 60% in the inhibitory effect of earthworm coelomic fluid on ARB. The removal rates of ARGs by earthworm guts also reached over 22%. In addition, earthworms enhanced the decomposition of refractory organics, toxic, and harmful organics, which led to a lower selective pressure on ARGs and ARB. It provides a strategy for reducing resistant pollution in sewage treatment plants and recognizing the harmless stability of sludge.
ISSN:1614-7499
0944-1344
1614-7499
DOI:10.1007/s11356-023-31287-w