Wastewater surveillance for antibiotic resistance genes during the late 2020 SARS-CoV-2 peak in two different populations

• Published in: Journal of water and health 2024-09, Vol.22 (9), p.1683-1694
• Main Authors: Philo, Sarah E, Monteiro, Sílvia, Fuhrmeister, Erica R, Santos, Ricardo, Meschke, John Scott
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotic resistance genes; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Disease control; Disease prevention; Disease resistance; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; Drug Resistance, Microbial - genetics; Environmental Monitoring; Genes; Genes, Bacterial; Health services; Health surveillance; Hospital wastes; Hospitals; Humans; Infections; Influents; MecA protein; Medical wastes; Metropolitan areas; Nucleotide sequence; Pandemics; PCR; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Polyethylene glycol; Polymerase chain reaction; Population studies; Populations; Portugal - epidemiology; Public health; Resistance to antibiotics; Samples; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Statistical analysis; Surveillance; Viral diseases; Washington - epidemiology; Wastewater - microbiology; Wastewater - virology; Wastewater treatment; Wastewater treatment plants
• ISSN: 1477-8920; 1996-7829
• DOI: 10.2166/wh.2024.161

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a rise in resistant infections after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic started. How and if the pandemic contributed to antibiotic resistance in the larger population is not well understood. Wastewater treatment plants are good locations for environmental surveillance because they can sample entire populations. This study aimed to validate methods used for COVID-19 wastewater surveillance for bacterial targets and to understand how rising COVID-19 cases from October 2020 to February 2021 in Portugal (PT) and King County, Washington contributed to antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater. Primary influent wastewater was collected from two treatment plants in King County and five treatment plants in PT, and hospital effluent was collected from three hospitals in PT. Genomic extracts were tested with the quantitative polymerase chain reaction for antibiotic resistance genes conferring resistance against antibiotics under threat. Random-effect models were fit for log-transformed gene abundances to assess temporal trends. All samples collected tested positive for multiple resistance genes. During the sampling period, statistically significantly increased in King County and PT. No statistical evidence exists of correlation between samples collected in the same Portuguese metro area.