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Landscape of plasmids encoding β-lactamases in disinfection residual Enterobacteriaceae from wastewater treatment plants

•DRE could carry transferable plasmids encoding β-lactamases.•IS26 played a crucial role in the movement of blaNDM, blaCTX-M, or blaTEM from DRE.•Two plasmids had no fitness cost indicating prolonged persistence in environments.•DRE-derived plasmids could enhance the virulence of their hosts. Conven...

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Published in:Water research (Oxford) 2024-05, Vol.255, p.121549-121549, Article 121549
Main Authors: Lin, Zejun, Zhou, Zhenchao, Shuai, Xinyi, Zeng, Guangshu, Bao, Ruiqi, Chen, Hong
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:•DRE could carry transferable plasmids encoding β-lactamases.•IS26 played a crucial role in the movement of blaNDM, blaCTX-M, or blaTEM from DRE.•Two plasmids had no fitness cost indicating prolonged persistence in environments.•DRE-derived plasmids could enhance the virulence of their hosts. Conventional disinfection processes, such as chlorination and UV radiation, are ineffective in controling antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially disinfection residual Enterobacteriaceae (DRE) encoding β-lactamases, some of which have been classified as “critical priority pathogens” by the World Health Organization. However, few studies have focused on the transferability, phenotype, and genetic characteristics of DRE-derived plasmids encoding β-lactamases, especially extended-spectrum β-lactamases and carbapenemases. In this study, we isolated 10 typical DRE harboring plasmid-mediated blaNDM, blaCTX-M, or blaTEM in post-disinfection effluent from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), with transfer frequency ranging from 1.69 × 10−6 to 3.02 × 10−5. According to genomic maps of plasmids, all blaNDM and blaTEM were cascaded with IS26, and blaCTX-M was adjacent to ISEcp1 or IS26, indicating the important role of these elements in the movement of β-lactamase-encoding genes. The presence of intact class 1 integrons on pWTPN-01 and pWTPC-03 suggested the ability of these DRE-derived plasmids to integrate other exogenous antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The coexistence of antibiotic, disinfectant, and heavy metal resistance genes on the same plasmid (e.g., pWTPT-03) implied the facilitating role of disinfectants and heavy metals in the transmission of DRE-derived ARGs. Notably, two plasmid transconjugants exhibited no discernible competitive fitness cost, suggesting a heightened environmental persistence. Furthermore, enhanced virulence induced by β-lactamase-encoding plasmids in their hosts was confirmed using Galleria mellonella infection models, which might be attributed to plasmid-mediated virulence genes. Overall, this study describes the landscape of β-lactamase-encoding plasmids in DRE, and highlights the urgent need for advanced control of DRE to keep environmental and ecological security. [Display omitted]
ISSN:0043-1354
1879-2448
DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2024.121549