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Yu Z, Henderson IR, Guo J. Non-caloric artificial sweeteners modulate conjugative transfer of multi-drug resistance plasmid in the gut microbiota. Gut Microbes 2023; 15:2157698. [PMID: 36524841 PMCID: PMC9762752 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2022.2157698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-caloric artificial sweeteners have been widely permitted as table sugar substitutes with high intensities of sweetness. They can pass through the intestinal tract without significant metabolization and frequently encounter the gut microbiome, which is composed of diverse bacterial species and is a pool of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, little is known about whether these sweeteners could accelerate the spread of ARGs in the gut microbiome. Here, we established an in vitro conjugation model by using Escherichia coli that carries chromosome-inserted Tn7 lacIq-pLpp-mCherry and plasmid-encoded gfpmut3b gene as the donor and murine fecal bacteria as the recipient. We found that four commonly used artificial sweeteners (saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium) can increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and promote plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer to the gut microbiome. Cell sorting and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analysis of fecal samples reveal that the tested sweeteners can promote the broad-host-range plasmid permissiveness to both Gram-negative and Gram-positive gut bacteria. The increased plasmid permissiveness was also validated with a human pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. Collectively, our study demonstrates that non-caloric artificial sweeteners can induce oxidative stress and boost the plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer of ARGs among the gut microbiota and a human pathogen. Considering the soaring consumption of these sweeteners and the abundance of mobile ARGs in the human gut, our results highlight the necessity of performing a thorough risk assessment of antibiotic resistance associated with the usage of artificial sweeteners as food additives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhigang Yu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (Formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ian R Henderson
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (Formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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102
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Yang Y, Yang X, Zhou H, Niu Y, Li J, Fu X, Wang S, Xue B, Li C, Zhao C, Zhang X, Shen Z, Wang J, Qiu Z. Bisphenols Promote the Pheromone-Responsive Plasmid-Mediated Conjugative Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Enterococcus faecalis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:17653-17662. [PMID: 36445841 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The enrichment and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) induced by environmental chemical pollution further exacerbated the threat to human health and ecological safety. Several compounds are known to induce R plasmid-mediated conjugation through inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), increasing cell membrane permeability, enhancing regulatory genes expression, and so forth. Up to now, there has been no substantial breakthrough in the studies of models and related mechanisms. Here, we established a new conjugation model using pheromone-responsive plasmid pCF10 and confirmed that five kinds of bisphenols (BPs) at environmentally relevant concentrations could significantly promote the conjugation of ARGs mediated by plasmid pCF10 in E. faecalis by up to 4.5-fold compared with untreated cells. Using qPCR, gene knockout and UHPLC, we explored the mechanisms behind this phenomenon using bisphenol A (BPA) as a model of BPs and demonstrated that BPA could upregulate the expression of pheromone, promote bacterial aggregation, and even directly activate conjugation as a pheromone instead of producing ROS and enhancing cell membrane permeability. Interestingly, the result of mathematical analysis showed that the pheromone effect of most BPs is more potent than that of synthetic pheromone cCF10. These findings provide new insight into the environmental behavior and biological effect of BPs and provided new method and theory to study on enrichment and spread of ARGs induced by environmental chemical pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Yang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Xiaobo Yang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Hongrui Zhou
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Yuanyuan Niu
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
- Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai201306, China
| | - Jing Li
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
- Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin301617, China
| | - Xinyue Fu
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
- Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai201306, China
| | - Shang Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Bin Xue
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Chenyu Li
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Zhiqiang Shen
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Jingfeng Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
| | - Zhigang Qiu
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin300050, China
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103
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Li W, Zhang WG, Zhang MS, Lei ZF, Li PF, Ma Y, Gao Y. Environmentally relevant concentrations of mercury facilitate the horizontal transfer of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance genes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158272. [PMID: 36028018 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Abundant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are typically found in mercury (Hg)-contaminated aquatic environments. This phenomenon is partly attributed to the co-resistance, cross-resistance, and shared regulatory responses to Hg and antibiotics. However, it remains unclear whether and how Hg influences the conjugative transfer of ARGs mediated by mobilizable plasmids. In the present study, we found that Hg2+ at the environmentally relevant concentrations (0.001-0.5 mg L-1) facilitated the conjugative transfer of ARGs through the mobilizable plasmid RP4 from the donor Escherichia coli HB101 to the recipient E. coli K12. Exposure to Hg2+ significantly increases the formation of reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde production, antioxidant enzyme activities, and cell membrane permeability, while decreasing the concentration of glutathione. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that the cell membrane suffered from oxidative damage, which is beneficial for conjugative transfer. The expression of global regulatory genes (korA, korB, and trbA) negatively regulating conjugative transfer was restrained by Hg2+, while promoting the expression of positive regulatory genes involved in the mating pair formation system (trbBp and traF) and the DNA transfer and replication systems (trfAp and traJ). Although a high Hg2+ concentration (1.0 mg L-1) suppressed ARGs conjugative transfer, our results suggest that Hg2+ facilitates the dissemination of ARGs in aquatic environments at environmentally relevant concentrations. This study improves our understanding of ARGs dissemination in Hg-contaminated aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Wei-Guo Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan; China Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory at Yangtze River Plain for Agricultural Environment, Nanjing 210014, China.
| | - Ming-Sha Zhang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhong-Fang Lei
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
| | - Peng-Fu Li
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Yan Ma
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultrual Environment, Luhe, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Yan Gao
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
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104
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Yuan Q, Yu P, Cheng Y, Zuo P, Xu Y, Cui Y, Luo Y, Alvarez PJJ. Chlorination (but Not UV Disinfection) Generates Cell Debris that Increases Extracellular Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transfer via Proximal Adsorption to Recipients and Upregulated Transformation Genes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:17166-17176. [PMID: 36286344 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
To advance the understanding of antibiotic resistance propagation from wastewater treatment plants, it is important to elucidate how different effluent disinfection processes affect the dissemination of predominantly extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs). Here, we show that, by facilitating proximal adsorption to recipient cells, bacterial debris generated by chlorination (but not by UV irradiation) increases the natural transformation frequency of their adsorbed eARG by 2.9 to 7.2-fold relative to free eARGs. This is because chlorination increases the bacterial surface roughness by 1.1 to 6.7-fold and the affinity toward eARGs by 1.6 to 5.8-fold, and 98% of the total eARGs released after chlorination were adsorbed to cell debris. In contrast, UV irradiation released predominantly free eARGs with 18% to 56% lower transformation frequency. The collision theory indicates that the ARG donor-recipient collision frequency increased by 35.1-fold for eARGs adsorbed onto chlorination-generated bacterial debris, and the xDLVO model infers a 29% lower donor-recipient contact energy barrier for these ARGs. Exposure to chlorination-generated bacterial debris also upregulated genes associated with natural transformation in Vibrio vulnificus (e.g., tfoX encoding the major activator of natural transformation) by 2.6 to 5.2-fold, likely due to the generation of chlorinated molecules (5.1-fold higher Cl content after chlorination) and persistent reactive species (e.g., carbon-centered radicals) on bacterial debris. Increased proximal eARG adsorption to bacterial debris was also observed in the secondary effluent after chlorination; this decreased eARG decay by 64% and increased the relative abundance of ARGs by 7.2-fold. Overall, this study highlights that different disinfection approaches can result in different physical states of eARGs that affect their resulting dissemination potential via transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingbin Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing211816, China
| | - Pingfeng Yu
- College of Environment and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China
| | - Yuan Cheng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing211816, China
| | - Pengxiao Zuo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston77005, Texas, United States
| | - Yisi Xu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing211816, China
| | - Yuxiao Cui
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin300071, China
| | - Yi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing210023, China
| | - Pedro J J Alvarez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston77005, Texas, United States
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105
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Li H, Jiang E, Wang Y, Zhong R, Zhou J, Wang T, Jia H, Zhu L. Natural organic matters promoted conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes: Underlying mechanisms and model prediction. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 170:107653. [PMID: 36436463 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Dissemination of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) is a huge challenge around the world. Natural organic matter (NOM) is one of the most commonly components in aquatic systems. Information regarding ARG transfer induced by NOM is still lacking. In this study, experimental exploration and model prediction on RP4 plasmid conjugative transfer between bacteria under NOM exposure was conducted. Compared with no exposure, the conjugative transfer frequency of RP4 plasmid increased 7.1-fold and 3.2-fold under exposure to 10 kDa and 100 kDa NOM exposure, respectively. NOM exposure with a lower molecular weight and higher concentration promoted gene expressions related to reactive oxygen species generation, cell membrane permeability, intercellular contact, quorum sensing, and energy driving force. Concurrently, the expressions of conjugation genes in RP4 plasmid were also upregulated. Moreover, model prediction demonstrated that the maintenance of the acquired plasmid was shortened to 133 h under 10 kDa NOM exposure compared with the control (200 h). Long-term NOM exposure enhanced transfer frequency and transfer rate of ARG. This study firstly theoretically and experimentally revealed the underlying mechanisms for promoting ARG transfer by NOM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu Li
- Breeding Base for State Key Lab. of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration in northwestern China, China; Key Lab. of Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystems in northwestern China of Ministry of Education, China; School of Ecology and Environment, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Enli Jiang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Yangyang Wang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Rongwei Zhong
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Jian Zhou
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Tiecheng Wang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Hanzhong Jia
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Lingyan Zhu
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
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106
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Cui Y, Gao J, Guo Y, Li Z, Wang Z, Zhao Y. Unraveling the impact and mechanism of antipyretic paracetamol on intergenera conjugative plasmid transfer. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 215:114263. [PMID: 36075475 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance has been considered as a great threat to biosecurity and human health. And the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by conjugated plasmid is a key factor in the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. Paracetamol (PRC), one of nonopioid analgesics, is an extensively used antipyretic and mild analgesic worldwide available for numerous prescriptions. It was unclear whether PRC could promote the spread of ARGs. Here, it was demonstrated that PRC promoted intergenera conjugative plasmid transfer in an established conjugation model. Both donor and recipient strains treated by PRC emerged the variations of reactive oxygen species (ROS), SOS response and cell membrane permeability. Correspondingly, transcriptome analysis revealed that the gene expression involved in cell membrane permeability and SOS response was up-regulated significantly after PRC exposure. More directly, PRC also increased the expressions of conjugation related genes of trbG and trbP in donor. This study proved for the first time that PRC could enhance the intergenera conjugative plasmid transfer. Collectively, these findings manifested the potential threat associated with the existence of non-antibiotic substance PRC, which could provide an important insight into antimicrobial resistance spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingchao Cui
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Jingfeng Gao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
| | - Yi Guo
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Ziqiao Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Zhiqi Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Yifan Zhao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
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107
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An Overview of the Impact of Pharmaceuticals on Aquatic Microbial Communities. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11121700. [PMID: 36551357 PMCID: PMC9774725 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11121700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals are present as pollutants in several ecosystems worldwide. Despite the reduced concentrations at which they are detected, their negative impact on natural biota constitutes a global concern. The consequences of pharmaceuticals' presence in water sources and food have been evaluated with a higher detail for human health. However, although most of the pharmaceuticals detected in the environment had not been designed to act against microorganisms, it is of utmost importance to understand their impact on the environmental native microbiota. Microbial communities can suffer serious consequences from the presence of pharmaceuticals as pollutants in the environment, which may directly impact public health and ecosystem equilibrium. Among this class of pollutants, the ones that have been studied in more detail are antibiotics. This work aims to provide an overview of the impacts of different pharmaceuticals on environmental biofilms, more specifically in biofilms from aquatic ecosystems and engineered water systems. The alterations caused in the biofilm function and characteristics, as well as bacteria antimicrobial tolerance and consequently the associated risks for public health, are also reviewed. Despite the information already available on this topic, the need for additional data urges the assessment of emerging pollutants on microbial communities and the potential public health impacts.
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108
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Chen X, Han W, Patel M, Wang Q, Li Q, Zhao S, Jia W. Inactivation of a pathogenic NDM-1-positive Escherichia coli strain and the resistance gene bla NDM-1 by TiO 2/UVA photocatalysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 846:157369. [PMID: 35842147 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Proliferation of blaNDM-1 in water and wastewater is particularly concerning because of multidrug-resistance and horizontal transfer of the gene. In the present study, a pathogenic NDM-1-positive Escherichia coli strain (named E. coli NDM-1) and the blaNDM-1 gene were treated with titanium dioxide (TiO2)/ultraviolet A (UVA) photocatalysis. Effects of catalyst dose, UVA intensity, and phosphate on bacteria and intracellular and extracellular blaNDM-1 genes were determined. With increases in TiO2 dose and UVA intensity, the inactivation rate of E. coli NDM-1 increased greatly in saline solution. However, phosphate in water hindered adsorption of bacteria to TiO2 and partly changed the TiO2 photocatalytic pathway, resulting in low degradation efficiency. Although inactivation of E. coli NDM-1 was highly efficient, TiO2/UVA photocatalysis had little effect on removal of the blaNDM-1 gene. During the 2-h photocatalytic experiments, E. coli cells decreased by 4.7-log, while the blaNDM-1 gene decreased by 0.7- ~ 1.5-log. Moreover, the degradation rate of extracellular blaNDM-1 was ~2.7 times higher than that of intracellular genes. Abundance and transformation frequency of residual blaNDM-1 genes remained high, even when bacteria were completely inactivated, indicating potential health risks. Increases in treatment time and UVA irradiation intensity are needed to remove the blaNDM-1 gene to sufficiently low levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, PR China
| | - Wenxuan Han
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, PR China
| | - Manisha Patel
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Qian Wang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, PR China
| | - Qilin Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Shuang Zhao
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, PR China
| | - Wenlin Jia
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, PR China.
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109
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Zhai H, Guo Y, Zhang L, Miao Y, Wang J. Presence of bromide and iodide promotes the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes during chlorination: A preliminary study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 846:157250. [PMID: 35817106 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Chlorination was reported to have a great potential to increase horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which poses a great threat to global human health. Bromide (Br-) and iodide (I-) ions are widely spread ions in water and wastewater. In chlorination, Br- and I- can be oxidized to active bromine and iodine species. The influence of the co-existing different halogen oxidants (chlorine + bromine or iodine species) on HGT of ARGs were rarely investigated. In this study, the conjugative transfer of ARGs between a donor strain E. coli K12 and a recipient strain E. coli HB101 was investigated in chlorination without/with the presence of Br- or I-. Immediately after the addition of sodium hypochlorite, 53-88 % of the dosed chlorine was rapidly consumed, 10 %-42 % fast transformed into organic combined chloramines, and only low levels of free chlorine (0.02-0.8 mg/L as Cl2) left in the diluted cultural medium. Conjugative transfer mediated by the RP4 plasmid was not significantly enhanced in chlorination without the presence of Br- or I-. With the presence of Br- (0.5-5.0 mg/L) or I- (0.05-0.5 mg/L) in chlorination, the co-existing free halogen oxidants and their organic combined ones up-regulated the mRNA expression of the oxidative stress-regulatory gene (rpoS), outer membrane protein gene (ompC), and conjugation-relevant genes (trbBp and trfAp), and caused more damage to cell entirety. As a result, the co-existing reactive halogen oxidants enhanced the HGT of ARGs probably via conjugative transfer and transformation. This study showed that the presence of Br- and I- of common levels in aquatic environment promoted HGT of ARGs in chlorination, thus accelerating the transmission and prevalence of ARGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Zhai
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR China.
| | - Yujing Guo
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Liangyu Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Yu Miao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Jingfeng Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental & Operational Medicine, Dali Road 1, Tianjin 300050, PR China
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110
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Bianco K, de Farias BO, Gonçalves-Brito AS, Alves do Nascimento AP, Magaldi M, Montenegro K, Flores C, Oliveira S, Monteiro MA, Spisso BF, Pereira MU, Ferreira RG, Albano RM, Cardoso AM, Clementino MM. Mobile resistome of microbial communities and antimicrobial residues from drinking water supply systems in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19050. [PMID: 36351942 PMCID: PMC9646821 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21040-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are widespread in the environment due to the overuse of antibiotics and other pollutants, posing a threat to human and animal health. In this study, we evaluated antimicrobial residues, bacterial diversity and ARGs in two important watersheds, Guandu and São João, that supply drinking water to Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil. In addition, tap water samples were collected from three different cities in Rio de Janeiro State, including the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro city. Clarithromycin, sulfamethoxazole and azithromycin were found in untreated water and drinking water in all samples. A greater abundance of Proteobacteria was observed in Guandu and São João watersheds, with most of the sequences belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria class. A plasmidome-focused metagenomics approach revealed 4881 (Guandu), 3705 (São João) and 3385 (drinking water) ARGs mainly associated with efflux systems. The genes encoding metallo-β-lactamase enzymes (blaAIM, blaGIM, blaIMP, and blaVIM) were detected in the two watersheds and in drinking water samples. Moreover, we demonstrated the presence of the colistin resistance genes mcr-3 and mcr-4 (both watersheds) and mcr-9 (drinking water and Guandu) for the first time in Brazil. Our data emphasize the importance of introducing measures to reduce the disposal of antibiotics and other pollutants capable of promoting the occurrence and spread of the microbial resistome on aquatic environments and predicting possible negative impacts on human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayo Bianco
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil.
| | - Beatriz Oliveira de Farias
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Andressa Silva Gonçalves-Brito
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Alves do Nascimento
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Mariana Magaldi
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Kaylanne Montenegro
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Claudia Flores
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Samara Oliveira
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Mychelle Alves Monteiro
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Bernardete Ferraz Spisso
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Mararlene Ulberg Pereira
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | - Rosana Gomes Ferreira
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
| | | | | | - Maysa Mandetta Clementino
- Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade Em Saúde INCQS/FIOCRUZ, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 4365, Brazil
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Ding P, Lu J, Wang Y, Schembri MA, Guo J. Antidepressants promote the spread of antibiotic resistance via horizontally conjugative gene transfer. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:5261-5276. [PMID: 36054646 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a global concern threatening public health. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between bacterial species contributes greatly to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Conjugation is one of the major HGT pathways responsible for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Antidepressant drugs are commonly prescribed antipsychotics for major depressive disorders and are frequently detected in aquatic environments. However, little is known about how antidepressants stress bacteria and whether such effect can promote conjugation. Here, we report that commonly prescribed antidepressants, sertraline, duloxetine, fluoxetine, and bupropion, can promote the conjugative transfer of plasmid-borne multidrug resistance genes carried by environmentally and clinically relevant plasmids. Noteworthy, the transfer of plasmids across bacterial genera is significantly enhanced by antidepressants at clinically relevant concentrations. We also reveal the underlying mechanisms of enhanced conjugative transfer by employing flow cytometric analysis, genome-wide RNA sequencing and proteomic analysis. Antidepressants induce the production of reactive oxygen species and the SOS response, increase cell membrane permeability, and upregulate the expression of conjugation relevant genes. Given the contribution of HGT in the dissemination of ARGs, our findings highlight the importance of prudent prescription of antidepressants and to the potential connection between antidepressants and increasing antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengbo Ding
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ji Lu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yue Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mark A Schembri
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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112
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Ren CY, Xu QJ, Mathieu J, Alvarez PJJ, Zhu L, Zhao HP. A Carotenoid- and Nuclease-Producing Bacterium Can Mitigate Enterococcus faecalis Transformation by Antibiotic Resistance Genes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:15167-15178. [PMID: 35862635 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through natural transformation is facilitated by factors that stabilize extracellular DNA (eDNA) and that induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that permeabilize receptor cells and upregulate transformation competence genes. In this study, we demonstrate that Deinococcus radiodurans can mitigate this ARG dissemination pathway by removing both eDNA and ROS that make recipient cells more vulnerable to transformation. We used plasmid RP4 as source of extracellular ARGs (tetA, aphA, and blaTEM-2) and the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus faecalis as receptor. The presence of D. radiodurans significantly reduced the transformation frequency from 2.5 ± 0.7 × 10-6 to 7.4 ± 1.4 × 10-7 (p < 0.05). Based on quantification of intracellular ROS accumulation and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and transcriptomic analyses, we propose two mechanisms by which D. radiodurans mitigates E. faecalis transformation by ARGs: (a) residual antibiotics induce D. radiodurans to synthesize liposoluble carotenoids that scavenge ROS and thus mitigate the susceptibility of E. faecalis for eDNA uptake, and (b) eDNA induces D. radiodurans to synthesize extracellular nucleases that degrade eARGs. This mechanistic insight informs biological strategies (including bioaugmentation) to curtail the spread of ARGs through transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong-Yang Ren
- MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 310058
| | - Qiu-Jin Xu
- MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 310058
| | - Jacques Mathieu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Pedro J J Alvarez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Lizhong Zhu
- MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 310058
| | - He-Ping Zhao
- MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 310058
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113
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Lu J, Yu Z, Ding P, Guo J. Triclosan Promotes Conjugative Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes to Opportunistic Pathogens in Environmental Microbiome. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:15108-15119. [PMID: 36251935 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Although triclosan, as a widely used antiseptic chemical, is known to promote the transmission of antibiotic resistance to diverse hosts in pure culture, it is still unclear whether and how triclosan could affect the transmission of broad-host-range plasmids among complex microbial communities. Here, bacterial culturing, fluorescence-based cell sorting, and high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing were combined to investigate contributions of triclosan on the transfer rate and range of an IncP-type plasmid from a proteobacterial donor to an activated sludge microbiome. Our results demonstrate that triclosan significantly enhances the conjugative transfer of the RP4 plasmid among activated sludge communities at environmentally relevant concentrations. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing on sorted transconjugants demonstrates that triclosan not only promoted the intergenera transfer but also the intragenera transfer of the RP4 plasmid among activated sludge communities. Moreover, triclosan mediated the transfer of the RP4 plasmid to opportunistic human pathogens, for example, Legionella spp. The mechanism of triclosan-mediated conjugative transfer is primarily associated with excessive oxidative stress, followed by increased membrane permeability and provoked SOS response. Our findings offer insights into the impacts of triclosan on the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in the aquatic environmental microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Lu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhigang Yu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Pengbo Ding
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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114
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Wu Y, Yan H, Zhu X, Liu C, Chu C, Zhu X, Chen B. Biochar Effectively Inhibits the Horizontal Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes via Restraining the Energy Supply for Conjugative Plasmid Transfer. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:12573-12583. [PMID: 35944241 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through plasmid-mediated conjugation poses a major threat to global public health. Biochar, a widely used environmental remediation material, has remarkable impacts on the fate of ARGs. However, although biochar was reported being able to inhibit the HGT of ARGs via conjugation and transformation, little is known about the intracellular process that mediates the inhibition effects. On the other hand, as typical natural organic matter, fulvic acid is a common environmental influencer, and how it interferes with the effect of biochar on the HGT of ARGs is unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the effects on the conjugative transfer of ARGs between Escherichia coli MG1655 and E. coli HB101 carrying plasmid RP4, with biochars pyrolyzed at three temperatures and with the corresponding biochars coating with fulvic acid. Results showed that biochar with higher pyrolyzed temperature had a more substantial inhibitory effect on the conjugative transfer of the RP4 plasmid. The inhibitory effect of biochar was mainly attributed to (i) down-regulation of plasmid transfer gene expression, including the formation of conjugative transfer channel and plasmid replication, due to restrained adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy supply and (ii) decreased cell membrane permeability. Conversely, the fulvic acid coating diminished this inhibition effect of biochar, mainly by providing more ATP and strengthening intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) defense. Our findings shed light on the intracellular process that mediates the effects of biochar on the conjugative transfer of ARGs, which would provide support for using biochar to reduce the spread of ARGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajing Wu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Huicong Yan
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiaomin Zhu
- College of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Congcong Liu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Chiheng Chu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiaoying Zhu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Baoliang Chen
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
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115
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Liu C, Li B, Wu B, Lin H, Jiang L, Qiu Y. How heavy metal stress promotes dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in the activated sludge process. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 437:129279. [PMID: 35724617 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Heavy metals have been recently revealed as promoters to antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination in water environment, but their influence on ARG transfer in the activated sludge process has not been clear. In this study, a set of sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) and micro-scale microfluidic chips were established to quantify the impacts of heavy metals (0.5 mM of Pb, 0.1 mM of As, and 0.005 mM of Hg) on the ARG spreading in the activated sludge consortium. Under heavy metal stress, transfer frequencies were 1.7-3.6 folds increase compared to the control. Gram-negative bacteria increased significantly after heavy metal added, which were more prone to receiving resistant plasmid from donors. Meanwhile, the relative expression of genes related to conjugation changed in activated sludge, especially the expression of outer membrane protein and oxidative stress regulatory genes increased by 2.9-7.4 folds and 7.8-13.1 folds, respectively. Furthermore, using microfluidic chips, the dynamics of ARG transfer was observed at single cell level under heavy metal pressure. Heavy metals firstly promoted conjugation and then vertical gene transfer played an important part for ARG spreading. The results provided in-depth understanding of the influence of heavy metals on ARG behavior in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenjing Liu
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Bing Li
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - BeiBei Wu
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Hai Lin
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Lintian Jiang
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yong Qiu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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116
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Lu J, Zhang H, Pan L, Guan W, Lou Y. Environmentally relevant concentrations of triclosan exposure promote the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes mediated by Edwardsiella piscicida. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:64622-64632. [PMID: 35474424 PMCID: PMC9041674 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20082-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Aquaculture pathogen and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) co-occur in the aquatic environment. Accumulated evidence suggests that aquaculture pathogens can facilitate the horizontal transfer of plasmid-mediated ARGs. However, the role of Edwardsiella piscicida (E. piscicida) in ARG dissemination is still not fully understood. In addition, the potential impact of triclosan (TCS) on the spread of ARGs mediated by E. piscicida is still unknown, so a mating model system was established to investigate the transfer process of ARGs. The results showed that E. piscicida disseminated ARGs on RP4 by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Furthermore, TCS exposure promoted this process. The conjugative transfer frequencies were enhanced approximately 1.2-1.4-fold by TCS at concentrations from 2 to 20 μg/L, when compared with the control. TCS promoted the HGT of ARGs by stimulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, increasing cell membrane permeability, and altering expressions of conjugative transfer-associated genes. Together, the results suggested that aquaculture pathogens spread ARGs and that the emerging contaminant TCS enhanced the transfer of ARGs between bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinfang Lu
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Sanitary Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, China, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - He Zhang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Liangliang Pan
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Sanitary Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, China, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wanchun Guan
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Sanitary Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, China, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yongliang Lou
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Sanitary Microbiology, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, China, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang, China.
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117
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Guo R, Chen Y, Yang Y, Shang J, Cheng X. Efficient degradation of sulfacetamide by CoFe PBAs and PBA@PVDF composite membrane activating peroxymonosulfate. CHINESE CHEM LETT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2022.107837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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118
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Li W, Zhang G. Detection and various environmental factors of antibiotic resistance gene horizontal transfer. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113267. [PMID: 35413299 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial antibiotic resistance in water environments is becoming increasingly severe, and new antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have also attracted the attention of researchers. The horizontal transfer of ARGs in water environments is considered one of the main sources of bacterial resistance in the natural environment. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mainly includes conjugation, natural transformation, and transduction, and conjugation has been investigated most. Several studies have shown that there are a large number of environmental factors that might affect the horizontal transfer of ARGs in water environments, such as nanomaterials, various oxidants, and light; however, there is still a lack of systematic and comprehensive reviews on the detection and the effects of the influence factors of on ARG horizontal transfer. Therefore, this study introduced three HGT modes, analysed the advantages and disadvantages of current methods for monitoring HGT, and then summarized the influence and mechanism of various factors on ARG horizontal transfer, and the possible reasons for the different effects caused by similar factors were mainly critically discussed. Finally, existing research deficiencies and future research directions of ARG horizontal transfer in water environments were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
| | - Guosheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 200092, Shanghai, China
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119
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Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria—A Review. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11081079. [PMID: 36009947 PMCID: PMC9404765 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11081079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 60.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: A global problem of multi-drug resistance (MDR) among bacteria is the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. In response to the significant increase of MDR bacteria, legislative measures have widely been taken to limit or eliminate the use of antibiotics, including in the form of feed additives for livestock, but also in metaphylaxis and its treatment, which was the subject of EU Regulation in 2019/6. Numerous studies have documented that bacteria use both phenotypis and gentic strategies enabling a natural defence against antibiotics and the induction of mechanisms in increasing resistance to the used antibacterial chemicals. The mechanisms presented in this review developed by the bacteria have a significant impact on reducing the ability to combat bacterial infections in humans and animals. Moreover, the high prevalence of multi-resistant strains in the environment and the ease of transmission of drug-resistance genes between the different bacterial species including commensal flora and pathogenic like foodborne pathogens (E. coli, Campylobacter spp., Enterococcus spp., Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., Staphylococcus spp.) favor the rapid spread of multi-resistance among bacteria in humans and animals. Given the global threat posed by the widespread phenomenon of multi-drug resistance among bacteria which are dangerous for humans and animals, the subject of this study is the presentation of the mechanisms of resistance in most frequent bacteria called as “foodborne pathoges” isolated from human and animals. In order to present the significance of the global problem related to multi-drug resistance among selected pathogens, especially those danger to humans, the publication also presents statistical data on the percentage range of occurrence of drug resistance among selected bacteria in various regions of the world. In addition to the phenotypic characteristics of pathogen resistance, this review also presents detailed information on the detection of drug resistance genes for specific groups of antibiotics. It should be emphasized that the manuscript also presents the results of own research i.e., Campylobacter spp., E. coli or Enetrococcus spp. This subject and the presentation of data on the risks of drug resistance among bacteria will contribute to initiating research in implementing the prevention of drug resistance and the development of alternatives for antimicrobials methods of controlling bacteria.
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120
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Tang H, Liu Z, Hu B, Zhu L. Effects of iron mineral adhesion on bacterial conjugation: Interfering the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes through an interfacial process. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 435:128889. [PMID: 35472548 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial conjugation is one of the most prominent ways for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) transmission in the environment. Interfacial interactions between natural colloidal minerals and bacteria can alter the effective contact of bacteria, thereby affecting ARGs conjugation. Understanding the impact of iron minerals, a core component of colloidal minerals, on ARGs conjugation can help assess and intervene in the risk of ARGs transmission. With three selected iron minerals perturbation experiments, it was found that the conjugative transfer of plasmid that carried kanamycin resistance gene was 1.35 - 3.91-fold promoted by low concentrations of iron minerals (i.e., 5 - 100 mg L-1), but inhibited at high concentrations (i.e., 1000 - 2000 mg L-1) as 0.10 - 0.22-fold. Conjugation occurrence was highly relevant to the number of bacteria adhering per unit mass of mineral, thus switch in the adhesion modes of mineral-bacterial determined whether the conjugate transfer of ARGs was facilitated or inhibited. In addition, a unified model was formularized upon the physicochemical and physiological effects of adhesion on conjugation, and it can be used in estimating the critical inhibitory concentration of different iron minerals on conjugation. Our findings indicate natural colloidal minerals have great potential for applications in preventing the environmental propagation of ARGs through interfacial interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiming Tang
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zishu Liu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Baolan Hu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Lizhong Zhu
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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121
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Zhang Y, Guo Y, Qiu T, Gao M, Wang X. Bacteriophages: Underestimated vehicles of antibiotic resistance genes in the soil. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:936267. [PMID: 35992716 PMCID: PMC9386270 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.936267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages), the most abundant biological entities on Earth, have a significant effect on the composition and dynamics of microbial communities, biogeochemical cycles of global ecosystems, and bacterial evolution. A variety of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been identified in phage genomes in different soil samples. Phages can mediate the transfer of ARGs between bacteria via transduction. Recent studies have suggested that anthropogenic activities promote phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer events. Therefore, the role of phages in the dissemination of ARGs, which are a potential threat to human health, may be underestimated. However, the contribution of phages to the transfer of ARGs is still poorly understood. Considering the growing and wide concerns of antibiotic resistance, phages should be considered a research focus in the mobile resistome. This review aimed to provide an overview of phages as vehicles of ARGs in soil. Here, we summarized the current knowledge on the diversity and abundance of ARGs in soilborne phages and analyzed the contribution of phages to the horizontal transfer of ARGs. Finally, research deficiencies and future perspectives were discussed. This study provides a reference for preventing and controlling ARG pollution in agricultural systems.
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122
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Qi Z, Le Z, Han F, Qi Y, Liu R. β-lactamase genes transmission influenced by tetracycline, sulfonamide and β-lactams antibiotics contamination in the on-site farm soil. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 241:113753. [PMID: 35687999 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which have been identified as emerging environmental pollutants that pose a considerable risk to human health is widespread. The formation and transmission of ARGs are mainly associated with the antibiotic stress in an environment. And the abundance of ARGs also influenced by other categories antibiotics. The geographic information system was used to visualize the relative abundance of 28 types of ARGs and concentration of 18 types of antibiotics. The concentration of tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) and sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) decreased gradually with increasing soil depth, while that of β-lactams (β-Ls) showed an increasing trend. The results revealed that TCs accounted for the largest proportion of all antibiotics. Furthermore, the abundance of β-lactam ARGs (β-RGs) increased with TCs and β-Ls increased. The abundance of tetracycline ARGs (TRGs) remained relatively stable with increasing concentrations of all antibiotics, while that of sulfonamide ARGs (SRGs) showed a decreasing trend. Although the abundance of β-RGs significantly increased with increasing levels of TCs and β-Ls. However, β-RGs were not significantly correlated with β-Ls, but with TCs. This study provided visual and comprehensive insights into the correlation between the distribution of typical antibiotics and ARGs and analyzed the synergy or antagonism between different antibiotics and ARGs. It is significant for soil remediation to reduce the likelihood of ARGs entering into and spreading in the human food chain via milk and beef consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Qi
- Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Ministry of Education, Harbin University of Commerce, 138 Tongda Street, Daoli District, Harbin 150076, China.
| | - Zhiwei Le
- Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Ministry of Education, Harbin University of Commerce, 138 Tongda Street, Daoli District, Harbin 150076, China
| | - Furui Han
- Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Ministry of Education, Harbin University of Commerce, 138 Tongda Street, Daoli District, Harbin 150076, China
| | - Yue Qi
- Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Ministry of Education, Harbin University of Commerce, 138 Tongda Street, Daoli District, Harbin 150076, China
| | - Rijia Liu
- Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Ministry of Education, Harbin University of Commerce, 138 Tongda Street, Daoli District, Harbin 150076, China.
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123
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Ye C, Feng M, Chen Y, Zhang Y, Chen Q, Yu X. Dormancy induced by oxidative damage during disinfection facilitates conjugation of ARGs through enhancing efflux and oxidative stress: A lagging response. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 221:118798. [PMID: 35779456 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Disinfection is known to greatly alter bacterial characteristics in water, and high horizontal gene transfer (HGT) frequency occurs in eutrophic conditions. Interestingly, these two seemingly irrelevant phenomena were closely linked by a lagging response of the increased conjugation frequency probably via daily water disinfection in this study. Three disinfection methods (UV, chlorine, and UV/chlorine) were selected to investigate the increased frequency of conjugation of ARGs during the stage of continuing culture after disinfection. The results showed that the conjugative transfer frequency was inhibited for all disinfection treatments after 24 h of co-incubation. Unexpectedly, after 3-7 days of co-cultivation, the HGT frequencies were increased by 2.71-5.61-fold and 5.46-13.96-fold in chlorine (30 min) and UV/chlorine (1 min) groups compared to the control, but not in UV-irradiated groups. A neglected lagging response was found for the first time, i.e., oxidative disinfection-induced dormancy promotes conjugative transfer of ARGs. Furthermore, mechanistic insights were gained from (1) membrane permeability, (2) conjugation-regulated system, (3) efflux pump system, and (4) oxidative stress system, suggesting the critical role of enhancing efflux and oxidative stress in the propagation of ARGs. Finally, the known instantaneous effect of oxidation disinfection was compared to address the controversial debate in this research field, proposing that the dormancy level of donor bacteria is the key to evaluating whether it can promote the HGT process. This study has important environmental implications for elucidating the transmission of ARGs after oxidation disinfection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengsong Ye
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China
| | - Mingbao Feng
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China.
| | - Yuqi Chen
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China
| | - Yiting Zhang
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China
| | - Qian Chen
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China
| | - Xin Yu
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, PR China.
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Ji H, Cai Y, Wang Z, Li G, An T. Sub-lethal photocatalysis promotes horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes by conjugation and transformability. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 221:118808. [PMID: 35841790 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in water is increasingly becoming a worldwide problem due to frequent recent major public health events. Herein, the horizontal ARG transfer mechanisms were studied under sub-lethal photocatalysis. The results show that ARGs had at most a 3- to 6-fold increase in the conjugative transfer frequency when only donor bacteria were induced with sub-lethal photocatalysis, while the frequency exhibited a trend toward inhibition when only the recipient bacteria were induced. However, when the donor or recipient bacteria were induced beforehand for a specific time, the frequency increased by a maximum of 10- to 22-fold. Moreover, the horizontal transfer frequency and its mechanism were related to the oxidative stress systems, ATP systems and the expression of related genes. Furthermore, the transformability of extracellular plasmids of the ARB and the contribution in horizontal transfer were also studied. Results show that the transformation frequency accounted for up to 50% of the total number of transconjugants, indicating that transformation might be a primary mode of horizontal ARG transfer by ARB in water. All of the above results demonstrate that sub-lethal photocatalysis will increase the frequency of horizontal gene transfer of ARGs through both conjugative transfer and the transformation pathway, which increases the risk of ARB in aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Ji
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yiwei Cai
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zaixia Wang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guiying Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Taicheng An
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
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125
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Liu Y, Cai Y, Li G, Wang W, Wong PK, An T. Response mechanisms of different antibiotic-resistant bacteria with different resistance action targets to the stress from photocatalytic oxidation. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 218:118407. [PMID: 35453030 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The stress response of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) pose a serious threat to the aquatic environment and human beings. This study mainly explored the effect of the heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation (UVA-TiO2 system) on the stress response mechanism of ARB with different antibiotic resistance action targets, including the cell wall, proteins, DNA, RNA, folate and the cell membrane. Results indicate that the stress response mechanism of tetracycline- and sulfamethoxazole-resistant E. coli DH5α, which targets the synthesis of protein and folate, could rapidly induce global regulators by the overexpression of relative antibiotic resistance action target genes. Different stress response systems were mediated via cross-protection mechanism, causing stronger tolerance to an adverse environment than other ARB. Moreover, the photocatalytic inactivation mechanism of bacterial cells and a graded response of cellular stress mechanism caused differences in the intensity of the stress mechanism of antibiotic resistance action targets. E. coli DH5α resistant to cefotaxime and polymyxin, targeting synthesis of the cell wall and cell membrane, respectively, could confer greater advantages to bacterial survival and higher conjugative transfer frequency than E. coli DH5α resistant to nalidixic acid and rifampicin, which target the synthesis of DNA and RNA, respectively. This new perspective provides detailed information on the practical application of photocatalytic oxidation for inactivating ARB and hampering the spreading of ARGs in the aquatic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjie Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yiwei Cai
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guiying Li
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Wanjun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Po Keung Wong
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Taicheng An
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
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126
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Liu Y, Gao J, Wang Y, Duan W, Zhang Y, Zhang H, Zhao M. Synergistic effect of sulfidated nanoscale zerovalent iron in donor and recipient bacterial inactivation and gene conjugative transfer inhibition. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 432:128722. [PMID: 35334272 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) are widespread in urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs). In this research, a horizontal transfer model of recipient (Pseudomonas. HLS-6) and donor (Escherichia coli DH5α carries RP4 plasmid) was constructed to explore the effect of sulfidated nanoscale zerovalent iron (S-nZVI) on the efficiency of plasmid-mediated horizontal transfer. When the S/Fe was 0.1, the inactivation efficiency of 1120 mg/L S-nZVI on the donor and recipient bacteria were 2.36 ± 0.03 log and 3.50 ± 0.17 log after 30 min, respectively (initial ARB concentration ≈ 5 ×107 CFU/mL). Effects of treatment time, S/Fe molar ratio, S-nZVI dosage and initial bacterial concentration were systemically studied. S-nZVI treatment could increase the extracellular alkaline phosphatase and malondialdehyde content of the ARB, cause oxidative stress in the bacteria, destroy the cell structure and damage the intracellular DNA. This study provided evidence and insights into possible underlying mechanisms for reducing conjugative transfer, such as hindering cell membrane repair, inducing the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, inhibiting the SOS response, reducing the expression of ARGs and related transfer genes. S-nZVI could inhibit the gene conjugative transfer while inactivating the ARB. The findings provided an alternative method for controlling antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jingfeng Gao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Yuwei Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Wanjun Duan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Haoran Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Mingyan Zhao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
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127
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Wu S, Ren P, Wu Y, Liu J, Huang Q, Cai P. Effects of hematite on the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in pathogens and underlying mechanisms. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 431:128537. [PMID: 35278942 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in pathogens is becoming a pervasive global health threat, to which the importance of the environment attracts more and more attention. However, how natural minerals affect ARGs transfer in pathogens is still unclear. In this study, the concentration and size effects of hematite on the ARGs conjugative transfer to a common zoonotic pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 and underlying mechanisms were explored. Results revealed that bulk hematite reduced the conjugation of resistant plasmids by inhibiting cell growth at any concentration (1-100 mg/L), different from nano-hematite. Low concentrations of nano-hematite (≤ 25 mg/L) induced significant increases in conjugative transfer frequency of 1.83-4.49 folds, while its high concentrations (50 and 100 mg/L) showed no impact, compared with the control group. This low-concentration effect was likely attributed to the increased intracellular ROS level, the reduced intercellular repulsion by increasing the extracellular polymeric substances production and cell surface hydrophobicity, the formation of transfer channels and the increased membrane permeability evidenced by significant changes in gene expression level, and the increased proton motive force by increasing the transmembrane potential of recipients. These findings shed light on potential health risks caused by nano minerals-mediated ARGs dissemination in pathogens in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Pengfei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yichao Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Qiaoyun Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Peng Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
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128
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Zha Y, Li Z, Zhong Z, Ruan Y, Sun L, Zuo F, Li L, Hou S. Size-dependent enhancement on conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes by micro/nanoplastics. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 431:128561. [PMID: 35278945 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recently micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) have raised intensive concerns due to their possible enhancement effect on the dissemination of antibiotic genes. Unfortunately, data is still lacking to verify the effect. In the study, the influence of polystyrene MNPs on the conjugative gene transfer was studied by using E. coli DH5ɑ with RP4 plasmid as the donor bacteria and E. coli K12 MG1655 as the recipient bacteria. We found that influence of MNPs on gene transfer was size-dependent. Small MNPs (10 nm in radius) caused an increase and then a decrease in gene transfer efficiency with their concentration increasing. Moderate-sized MNPs (50 nm in radius) caused an increase in gene transfer efficiency. Large MNPs (500 nm in radius) had almost no influence on gene transfer. The gene transfer could be further enhanced by optimizing mating time and mating ratio. Scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) production did not affect the cell membrane permeability, indicating that the increase in cell membrane permeability was not related to ROS production. The mechanism of the enhanced gene transfer efficiency was attributed to a combined effect of the increased ROS production and the increased cell membrane permeability, which ultimately regulated the expression of corresponding genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Zha
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Science in Guangdong Province of Community of Life for Man and Nature, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Ziwei Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Science in Guangdong Province of Community of Life for Man and Nature, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Zheng Zhong
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Science in Guangdong Province of Community of Life for Man and Nature, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yiming Ruan
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Science in Guangdong Province of Community of Life for Man and Nature, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Lili Sun
- Guangzhou Inspection Testing and Certification Group Co., Ltd., China
| | - Fangfang Zuo
- Guangzhou Inspection Testing and Certification Group Co., Ltd., China; Key Laboratory for Quality Research and Evaluation of Medical Textile Protective Products, Guangdong Medical Products Administration, China
| | - Liangzhong Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Center for Environmental Health Research, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Sen Hou
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Science in Guangdong Province of Community of Life for Man and Nature, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
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129
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Huang H, Feng G, Wang M, Liu C, Wu Y, Dong L, Feng L, Zheng X, Chen Y. Nitric Oxide: A Neglected Driver for the Conjugative Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes among Wastewater Microbiota. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:6466-6478. [PMID: 35512279 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c01889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The dissemination of plasmid-borne antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater is becoming an urgent concern. Previous studies mainly focused on the effects of coexisting contaminants on plasmid conjugation, but ignored the potential contribution of some byproducts inevitably released from wastewater treatment processes. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that nitric oxide (NO), an intermediate of the wastewater nitrogen cycle, can significantly boost the conjugative transfer of plasmid RP4 from Escherichia coli K12 to different recipients (E. coli HB101, Salmonella typhimurium, and wastewater microbiota). Phenotypic and genotypic tests confirmed that NO-induced promotion was not attributed to the SOS response, a well-recognized driver for horizontal gene transfer. Instead, NO exposure increased the outer membrane permeability of both the donor and recipient by inhibiting the expression of key genes involved in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis (such as waaJ), thereby lowering the membrane barrier for conjugation. On the other hand, NO exposure not only resulted in the accumulation of intracellular tryptophan but also triggered the deficiency of intracellular methionine, both of which were validated to play key roles in regulating the global regulatory genes (korA, korB, and trbA) of plasmid RP4, activating its encoding transfer apparatus (represented by trfAp and trbBp). Overall, our findings highlighted the risks of NO in spreading ARGs among wastewater microbiota and updated the regulation mechanism of plasmid conjugation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haining Huang
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Guanqun Feng
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Meng Wang
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chao Liu
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yang Wu
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Lei Dong
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Municipal Engn Design Inst Grp Co. Ltd., 901 Zhongshan North Second Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Leiyu Feng
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiong Zheng
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yinguang Chen
- State key laboratory of pollution control and Resource reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
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130
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Dong H, Fu Y, Wang P, Jiang W, Gao G, Zhang X. Degradation of chloramphenicol by Ti/PbO 2-La anodes and alteration in bacterial community and antibiotics resistance genes. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 301:119031. [PMID: 35192886 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotics accumulation in the environment has given rise to multi-drug resistant 'superbugs' and antibiotics resistence genes (ARGs). Chloramphenicol (CAP), a kind of widely used antibiotics, was chosen as the model compound to investigate its degradation during electrochemical treatment process. The prepared Ti/PbO2-La electrodes had a denser surface and a more complete PbO2 crystal structure than Ti/PbO2 electrode. The doping of La increased the onset potential and the overpotential, increased the current value of the oxidation peak and the reduction peak, reduced the impedance, and increased the lifetime. The reactions CAP degradation and TOC removal on Ti/PbO2-La electrode was both primary kinetic reactions. CAP degradation rate increased with current density, and TOC obtained the highest removal at current density of 25 mA cm-2. The electrolyte concentration had a small effect in the range of 0.050-0.150 mol L-1. The effects under acidic and neutral conditions were better than under alkaline conditions. CAP was mainly directly oxidized at the electrode surface and indirect oxidation also took place via generated ·OH and SO4·-. 15 intermediates and 2 degradation pathways have been postulated. The entry of CAP and CAP intermediates into the environment caused the alteration in bacterial community and ARGs, while complete degradation products had little effect on them. Redundancy analysis showed that intI1 was the dominant factor affecting ARGs, and Actinobacteria and Patescibacteria were the main factors affecting the abundances of ARGs in the microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Dong
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, China.
| | - Yanli Fu
- Advanced Materials Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250014, China.
| | - Pengqi Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, China.
| | - Wenqiang Jiang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, China.
| | - Guangfei Gao
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, China.
| | - Xuan Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, China.
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131
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Guo ZB, Sun WL, Zuo XJ, Song HL, Ling H, Zhang S. Increase of antibiotic resistance genes via horizontal transfer in single- and two-chamber microbial electrolysis cells. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:36216-36224. [PMID: 35061176 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-18676-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have been applied for antibiotic degradation but simultaneously induced antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), thus representing a risk to disseminate antibiotic resistance. However, few studies were on the potential and risk of ARGs transmission in the MECs. This work assessed conjugative transfer of ARGs under three tested conditions (voltages, cell concentration, and donor/recipient ratio) in both single- and two-chamber MECs. The results indicated that voltages (> 0.9 V) facilitated the horizontal frequency of ARGs in the single-chamber MECs and anode chamber of two-chamber MECs. The donor cell number (donor/recipient ratio was 2:1) increased the transfer frequency of ARGs. Furthermore, voltages ranged from 0.9 to 2.5 V increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell membrane permeability in MECs. These findings offer new insights into the roles of ARG transfer under different applied voltages in the MECs, which should not be ignored for horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao-Bing Guo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Wen-Long Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Zuo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Hai-Liang Song
- School of Environment, Jiangsu Engineering Lab of Water and Soil Eco-Remediation, Nanjing Normal University, Wenyuan Road 1, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Hao Ling
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
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Gmurek M, Borowska E, Schwartz T, Horn H. Does light-based tertiary treatment prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance genes? Performance, regrowth and future direction. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 817:153001. [PMID: 35031375 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The common occurrence of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) originating from pathogenic and facultative pathogenic bacteria pose a high risk to aquatic environments. Low removal of ARGs in conventional wastewater treatment processes and horizontal dissemination of resistance genes between environmental bacteria and human pathogens have made antibiotic resistance evolution a complex global health issue. The phenomenon of regrowth of bacteria after disinfection raised some concerns regarding the long-lasting safety of treated waters. Despite the inactivation of living antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), the possibility of transferring intact and liberated DNA containing ARGs remains. A step in this direction would be to apply new types of disinfection methods addressing this issue in detail, such as light-based advanced oxidation, that potentially enhance the effect of direct light interaction with DNA. This study is devoted to comprehensively and critically review the current state-of-art for light-driven disinfection. The main focus of the article is to provide an insight into the different photochemical disinfection methods currently being studied worldwide with respect to ARGs removal as an alternative to conventional methods. The systematic comparison of UV/chlorination, UV/H2O2, sulfate radical based-AOPs, photocatalytic processes and photoFenton considering their mode of action on molecular level, operational parameters of the processes, and overall efficiency of removal of ARGs is presented. An in-depth discussion of different light-dependent inactivation pathways, influence of DBP and DOM on ARG removal and the potential bacterial regrowth after treatment is presented. Based on presented revision the risk of ARG transfer from reactivated bacteria has been evaluated, leading to a future direction for research addressing the challenges of light-based disinfection technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Gmurek
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, 90-924 Lodz, Poland; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engler-Bunte-Institut, Water Chemistry and Water Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Functional Interfaces, Microbiology/Molecular Biology Department, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
| | - E Borowska
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engler-Bunte-Institut, Water Chemistry and Water Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - T Schwartz
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Functional Interfaces, Microbiology/Molecular Biology Department, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - H Horn
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engler-Bunte-Institut, Water Chemistry and Water Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany; DVGW German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water Research Laboratories, Water Chemistry and Water Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
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133
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He K, Xue B, Yang X, Wang S, Li C, Zhang X, Zhao C, Wang X, Qiu Z, Shen Z, Wang J. Low-concentration of trichloromethane and dichloroacetonitrile promote the plasmid-mediated horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 425:128030. [PMID: 34986571 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are one of the unintended consequences of water disinfection that are commonly detected in various water environments. Although DBPs are known to induce antimicrobial resistance via stimulation of chromosomal mutations, it remains unclear whether low-concentration of DBPs could stimulate the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The present study aimed to investigate the effect of two typical DBPs, namely trichloromethane (TCM) and dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN), on the conjugative transfer of RP4 plasmid in Escherichia coli genera. The results of the study demonstrated that exposure to low concentrations of TCM and DCAN significantly stimulated conjugative transfer of ARGs, wherein application of 25 μg/L of TCM and 10 μg/L of DCAN resulted in maximum fold change of ~5.5- and ~6.0-fold, respectively, at 16 h of exposure. Further, assessment of underlying mechanisms revealed the involvement of intracellular reactive oxygen species generation, SOS response, increase in cell membrane permeability, upregulation of expression of genes and proteins related to pilus generation, ATP synthesis, and RP4 gene expression. Our findings provided a better understanding of the hidden biological effects and the ecological risks of DBPs in the water environment, especially concerning their effect on the spread of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun He
- School of Environmental Science Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Bin Xue
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Xiaobo Yang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Shang Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Chenyu Li
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- School of Environmental Science Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Zhigang Qiu
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Zhiqiang Shen
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China.
| | - Jingfeng Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment and Food Safety, Tianjin 300050, China.
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134
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Yang B, Wang Z, Jia Y, Fang D, Li R, Liu Y. Paclitaxel and its derivative facilitate the transmission of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance genes through conjugative transfer. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 810:152245. [PMID: 34896514 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) renders the global resistance crisis more tense and urgent as few effective antimicrobials are available to combat multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens at present. Conjugation is one of the most dominant and representative pathways of HGT. Antibiotic residue in environment is recognized as an important accelerator for conjugal transfer, whereas the roles of non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals in this process are not fully understood. Here we found that environmentally relevant concentrations of paclitaxel as well as its derivative docetaxel, two commonly used anticancer drugs, remarkably facilitated the conjugative transfer of resistance plasmids carrying multiple antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The underlying mechanisms accounting for the enhanced conjugation were investigated by detecting the activity of RpoS regulon, membrane permeability, SOS response and gene expression of conjugative transfer systems. Our results showed that paclitaxel induced a series of cellular responses, including up-regulation of rpoS expression, activated SOS response, increased cell membrane permeability, enhanced plasmid replication and mating pilus formation. Collectively, our data provide new insight on the roles of paclitaxel and its derivative in promoting the conjugal transfer of ARGs, highlighting the importance of good antimicrobial stewardship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingqing Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuqian Jia
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dan Fang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ruichao Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China; Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China; Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China.
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135
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Zhang S, Sun WL, Song HL, Zhang T, Yin M, Wang Q, Zuo X. Effects of voltage on the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes in microbial electrolysis cells: From mutation to horizontal gene transfer. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 291:132703. [PMID: 34718024 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are widely considered as promising alternatives for degrading antibiotics. As one of the major operating parameters in MECs, voltage might affect the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) given it can affect the physiological characteristics of bacteria. However, little is known about the impacts of voltage on the acceleration of bacterial mutation and the promotion of ARG dissemination via horizontal transfer in MECs. In this study, two voltages (0.9 V and 1.5 V) were applied to identify if electrical stimulation could increase bacterial mutation frequency. Three voltages (0.9 V, 1.5 V, and 2.5 V) were used to evaluate the conjugative transfer frequency of plasmid-encoded the ARGs from the donor (E. coli K-12) to the recipient (E. coli HB101) in MECs. After repeating subculture in MECs for 10 days, the mutation frequency of E. coli K-12 was promoted, consequently, the generated mutants became more resistant against tetracycline. When the voltage was higher than 0.9 V, conjugative ARG transfer frequency was significantly increased in the anode chamber (p < 0.05). The over-production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (voltage >0.9 V) and cell membrane permeability (voltage >1.5 V) were significantly enhanced under electrical stimulations (p < 0.05). Genome-wide RNA sequencing indicated that the expressions of genes related to oxidative stress and cell membrane were upregulated with exposure to electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulations induced oxidative reactions, which triggered ROS over-production, SOS response, and enhancement of cell membrane permeability for both donor and recipient in the MECs. These findings provide insights into the potential role of voltage in the generation and spread of ARGs in MECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science &Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Wen-Long Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science &Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Hai-Liang Song
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Jiangsu Engineering Lab of Water and Soil Eco-remediation, Wenyuan Road 1, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science &Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Minghao Yin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science &Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Qilin Wang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - XiaoJun Zuo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CIC-AEET), Nanjing University of Information Science &Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
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136
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Cui H, Smith AL. Impact of engineered nanoparticles on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater and receiving environments: A comprehensive review. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 204:112373. [PMID: 34774508 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticles (NPs) and antibiotic resistance elements are ubiquitous in wastewater and consequently, in receiving environments. Sub-lethal levels of engineered NPs potentially result in a selective pressure on antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) propagation in wastewater treatment plants. Conversely, emergent NPs are being designed to naturally attenuate ARGs based on special physical and electrochemical properties, which could alleviate dissemination of ARGs to the environment. The complex interactions between NPs and antibiotic resistance elements have heightened interest in elucidating the potential positive and negative implications. This review focuses on the properties of NPs and ARGs and how their interactions could increase or decrease antibiotic resistance at wastewater treatment plants and in receiving environments. Further, the potential for sub-lethal level NPs to facilitate horizontal gene transfer of ARGs and increase mutagenesis rates, which adds a layer of complexity to combatting antibiotic resistance associated with wastewater management, is discussed. Notably, the literature revealed that sub-lethal exposure of engineered NPs may facilitate conjugative transfer of ARGs by increasing cell membrane permeability. The enhanced permeability is a result of direct damage via NP attachment and indirect damage by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and causing genetic changes relevant to conjugation. Finally, current knowledge gaps and future research directions (e.g., deciphering the fate of NPs in the environment and examining the long-term cytotoxicity of NPs) are identified for this emerging field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanlin Cui
- Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, 3620 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States
| | - Adam L Smith
- Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, 3620 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States.
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137
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Zhang Q, Liu Y, Zhang C, Zhou D. Easily biodegradable substrates are crucial for enhancing antibiotic risk reduction: Low-carbon discharging policies need to be more specified. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 210:117972. [PMID: 34952454 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Governments have formulated stricter wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge standards to address water pollution; however, with the cost of aggravating the refractory of the discharges. These policies are not in line with the classic co-metabolism theory; thus, we evaluated the effects of an easily biodegradable substrate on the removal efficiency of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the receiving water. In this study, reactor with 8 d of hydraulic retention time (HRT) was constructed to simulate a receiving river, and several antibiotics (0.30 mg/L each) were continuously discharged to the reactor (tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, and sulfamethoxazole). Sodium acetate (NaAc) was used as a representative easily biodegradable substrate, and treatment protocols with and without a co-substrate were compared. The attenuation of the antibiotics in the simulated river and the production and dissemination of ARGs were analyzed. The results showed that 50 mg/L NaAc activated non-specific enzymes (a log2-fold change of 3.1-8.8 compared with 0 mg/L NaAc). The removal rate of the antibiotics was increased by 4-32%, and the toxicity of the downstream water was reduced by 35%. The upregulation of antioxidant enzymes caused the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROSs) decreased by up to 47%, inhibiting horizontal gene transfer and reducing mobile genetic element-mediated ARGs (mARGs) by 18-56%. Furthermore, NaAc also increased the alpha diversity of the microbial community by 5-15% (Shannon-Wiener Index) and reduced the abundance of human bacterial pathogens by 22-36%. In summary, easily biodegradable substrates in the receiving water are crucial for reducing antibiotic risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qifeng Zhang
- Engineering Lab for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery of Jilin Province, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Engineering Lab for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery of Jilin Province, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Chongjun Zhang
- Engineering Lab for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery of Jilin Province, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Dandan Zhou
- Engineering Lab for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery of Jilin Province, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China.
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138
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Liu X, Wang D, Wang L, Tang J. Dissolved biochar eliminates the effect of Cu(II) on the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 424:127251. [PMID: 34583164 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has posed significant risks to human and environmental health. Research has confirmed that Cu(II) could accelerate the conjugative transfer of ARGs between bacteria. This study found that adding dissolved biochar effectively weakened or eliminated the Cu(II)-facilitated efficient transfer of ARGs. The efficiency of conjugative transfer was promoted after treatment with Cu(II) (0.05 mg/L) or dissolved biochar at a pyrolysis temperature of 300 °C. When exposed to the combination of Cu(II) and dissolved biochar, the transfer frequency was significantly reduced; this occurred regardless of the Cu(II) concentration or pyrolysis temperature of dissolved biochar. In particular, when the Cu(II) concentration exceeded 0.5 mg/L, the transfer efficiency was entirely inhibited. Gene expression analysis indicated that different treatments affect transfer efficiency by regulating the expression of three global regulatory genes: korA, korB, and trbA. Among them, humic acid repressed the expression of these genes; however, Cu(II) formed complex with the humic acid-like components, gradually weakening the inhibitive effect of these components. The promotion of low molecule organic matters dominated, resulting in a dynamic decline in the transfer efficiency. This study provides a new environmental contaminant treatment approach to eliminate the heavy metal-facilitated transfer of ARGs between bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Engineering Center of Environmental Diagnosis and Contamination Remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Engineering Center of Environmental Diagnosis and Contamination Remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Lan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Engineering Center of Environmental Diagnosis and Contamination Remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Jingchun Tang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Engineering Center of Environmental Diagnosis and Contamination Remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
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139
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Ping Q, Yan T, Wang L, Li Y, Lin Y. Insight into using a novel ultraviolet/peracetic acid combination disinfection process to simultaneously remove antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater: Mechanism and comparison with conventional processes. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 210:118019. [PMID: 34982977 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.118019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the simultaneous removal mechanism of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was investigated using the novel ultraviolet/peracetic acid (UV/PAA) combination disinfection process and conventional disinfection processes were also applied for comparison. The results showed that UV/PAA disinfection with a high UV dosage (UV/PAA-H) was most effective for the removal of tetracyclines, quinolones, macrolides and β-lactams; their average removal efficiencies ranged from 25.7% to 100%, while NaClO disinfection was effective for the removal of sulfonamides (∼81.6%). The majority of ARGs were well removed after the UV/PAA-H disinfection, while specific genes including tetB, tetC, ermA and blaTEM significantly increased after NaClO disinfection. In addition, β-lactam resistance genes (-35.9%) and macrolides resistance genes (-12.0%) remarkably augmented after UV/NaClO disinfection. The highly reactive oxidation species generated from UV/PAA process including hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and carbon-centered organic radicals (R-C•), were responsible for the elimination of antibiotics and ARGs. Correlation analysis showed that tetracycline, sulfonamide and macrolide antibiotics removal showed a positive correlation with the corresponding ARGs, and a low dose of antibiotic residues played an important role in the distribution of ARGs. Metagenomic sequencing analysis showed that UV/PAA disinfection could not only greatly decrease the abundance of resistant bacteria but also downregulate the expression of key functional genes involved in ARGs propagation and inhibit the signal transduction of the host bacteria, underlying that its removal mechanism was quite different from that of NaClO-based disinfection processes. Our study provides valuable information for understanding the simultaneous removal mechanism of antibiotics and ARGs in wastewater during the disinfection processes, especially for the novel UV/PAA combination process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Ping
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China
| | - Tingting Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yongmei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuqian Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China
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140
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Zhang Z, Zhang Q, Lu T, Zhang J, Sun L, Hu B, Hu J, Peñuelas J, Zhu L, Qian H. Residual chlorine disrupts the microbial communities and spreads antibiotic resistance in freshwater. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 423:127152. [PMID: 34537643 PMCID: PMC9758890 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Chlorine disinfection is a key global public health strategy for the prevention and control of diseases, such as COVID-19. However, little is known about effects of low levels of residual chlorine on freshwater microbial communities and antibiotic resistomes. Here, we treated freshwater microcosms with continuous low concentrations of chlorine and quantified the effects on aquatic and zebrafish intestinal microbial communities and antibiotic resistomes, using shotgun metagenome and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Although chlorine rapidly degraded, it altered the aquatic microbial community composition over time and disrupted interactions among microbes, leading to decreases in community complexity and stability. However, community diversity was unaffected. The majority of ecological functions, particularly metabolic capacities, recovered after treatment with chlorine for 14 d, due to microbial community redundancy. There were also increased levels of antibiotic-resistance gene dissemination by horizontal and vertical gene transfer under chlorine treatment. Although the zebrafish intestinal microbial community recovered from temporary dysbiosis, growth and behavior of zebrafish adults were negatively affected by chlorine. Overall, our findings demonstrate the negative effects of residual chlorine on freshwater ecosystems and highlight a possible long-term risk to public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyan Zhang
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
| | - Qi Zhang
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
| | - Tao Lu
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
| | - Jieyu Zhang
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
| | - Liwei Sun
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
| | - Baolan Hu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, PR China
| | - Jun Hu
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lizhong Zhu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, PR China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, PR China.
| | - Haifeng Qian
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China.
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141
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Li H, Song R, Wang Y, Zhong R, Wang T, Jia H, Zhu L. Environmental free radicals efficiently inhibit the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance by altering cellular metabolism and plasmid transfer. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 209:117946. [PMID: 34923439 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Spread of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) is a global public safety issue and inhibition their transfer is imperative. In this study, a novel strategy using environmental free radical exposure was developed to inhibit conjugative transfer of ARGs (RP4 plasmid) in aqueous solutions. Long-time free radical (·OH, 1O2, and O2·-) exposure significantly suppressed the conjugative transfer frequency of ARGs between Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains, and ·OH was more likely to attack ARG, thereby inhibiting the conjugate transfer frequency, compared to 1O2 and O2·-. Compared with the control, the conjugative transfer frequency significantly decreased from 4.08 × 10-5 to 1.2 × 10-8 after 10 min free radical exposure, confirming that the transfer and proliferation of ARGs were well inhibited. Correspondingly, the number of transconjugant significantly decreased by 61.7% after 10 min free radical exposure. Significant reductions in reactive oxygen species levels (ROS content and enzyme levels) and DNA damage-induced responses in the donor strains were observed after 10 min free radical exposure. Concurrently, intercellular contact was also weakened via inhibiting the synthesis of polysaccharides in extracellular polymeric substances. Moreover, the expressions of plasmid transfer genes were down-regulated after 10 min exposure due to the shortage of adenosine-triphosphate supply. This study firstly disclosed the underneath mechanisms for depressing ARGs transfer and dissemination via environmental free radical exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu Li
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Ruiying Song
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Yangyang Wang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Rongwei Zhong
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Tiecheng Wang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Hanzhong Jia
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Lingyan Zhu
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
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142
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Jiang Q, Feng M, Ye C, Yu X. Effects and relevant mechanisms of non-antibiotic factors on the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in water environments: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150568. [PMID: 34627113 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance has created obstacles in the treatment of infectious diseases with antibiotics. The horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can exacerbate the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in water environments. In addition to antibiotic selective pressure, multiple non-antibiotic factors can affect the horizontal transfer of ARGs. Herein, we seek to comprehensively review the effects and relevant mechanisms of non-antibiotic factors on the horizontal transfer of ARGs in water environments, especially contaminants from human activities and water treatment processes. Four pathways have been identified to accomplish horizontal gene transfer (HGT), i.e., conjugation, transformation, transduction, and vesiduction. Changes in conjugative frequencies by non-antibiotic factors are mainly related to their concentrations, which conform to hormesis. Relevant mechanisms involve the alteration in cell membrane permeability, reactive oxygen species, SOS response, pilus, and mRNA expression of relevant genes. Transformation induced by extracellular DNA may be more vulnerable to non-antibiotic factors than other pathways. Except bacteriophage infection, the effects of non-antibiotic factors on transduction exhibit many similarities with that of conjugation. Given the secretion of membrane vesicles stimulated by non-antibiotic factors, their effects on vesiduction can be inferred. Furthermore, contaminants from human activities at sub-inhibitory or environmentally relevant concentrations usually promote HGT, resulting in further dissemination of antibiotic resistance. The horizontal transfer of ARGs is difficult to be inhibited by individual water treatment processes (e.g., chlorination, UV treatment, and photocatalysis) unless they attain sufficient intensity. Accordingly, the synergistic application containing two or more water treatment processes is recommended. Overall, we believe this review can elucidate the significance for risk assessments of contaminants from human activities and provide insights into the development of environment-friendly and cost-efficient water treatment processes to inhibit the horizontal transfer of ARGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Jiang
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Mingbao Feng
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Chengsong Ye
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Xin Yu
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
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143
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Sun S, Shen J, Li D, Li B, Sun X, Ma L, Qi H. A new insight into the ARG association with antibiotics and non-antibiotic agents-antibiotic resistance and toxicity. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 293:118524. [PMID: 34793916 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Although concerns have been raised about co-selection for antibiotic resistance and various antibiotics and non-antibiotic agents, the data on their association in urban sludge is still limited. In addition, antibiotic contamination can result in not only the toxicity but also the antibiotic resistance. In this study, the first large-scale identification of antibiotics and non-antibiotic agents concern for co-selection of resistance against antibiotics was conducted in urban sludge. Co-occurrence analysis showed that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) had no significant correlation with the corresponding antibiotics. Therefore, the results of co-occurrence analysis based on antibiotic concentration and ARG abundance were always ambiguous and difficult to interpret. However, antibiotic resistance was positively correlated with highly toxic compounds such as diclofenac, enrofloxacin and nicotine, suggesting that environmental contaminants might influence antibiotic resistance while exerting toxicity through mechanisms such as changes in microbial community and enzyme activity. The close correlation between class 1 integrase gene (intI1) and diclofenac/enrofloxacin indicated that the co-selection scenario between environmental contaminants and ARGs was likely mediated via intI1. In total, the derived co-occurrence patterns improve our understanding of the co-selection between ARGs, antibiotics and non-antibiotic agents, and also reaffirm the importance of potential role of non-antibiotic agents in the global spread of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaojing Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Jimin Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Dongmei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Bo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Xiazhong Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Lixin Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Hong Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China.
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144
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Li Z, Gao J, Guo Y, Cui Y, Wang Y, Duan W, Wu Z. Enhancement of antibiotic resistance dissemination by artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium: Insights from cell membrane, enzyme, energy supply and transcriptomics. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 422:126942. [PMID: 34449343 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The abuse of antibiotics on animals could induce the development of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), and acesulfame potassium (ACE) is the widely used artificial sweetener in animal feed. Generally speaking, ACE and ARB often coexist in livestock wastewater, however, the impact of the co-occurrence of ACE and ARB on the transmission of ARGs is still unknown. In this study, the effects of ACE on vertical gene transfer (VGT) and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) were both evaluated. For VGT, ACE may hinder the spread of sul gene in Pseudomonas HLS-6 by blocking ARB growth. As for HGT (from Escherichia coli DH5α to Pseudomonas HLS-6), environmentally relevant ACE concentration could facilitate the conjugative transfer. The underlying mechanisms of HGT were characterized by enhanced cell membrane permeability, reactive oxygen species overproduction, SOS response, energy supply, which were all further verified by the changes in transcription levels of related genes. Interestingly, intracellular Mg2+ in donor strain was found for the first time as an indicator for the conjugation occurrence in ACE treated mating system. This study may provide new insights into the role of ACE on ARGs proliferation and highlight its potential environmental impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqiao Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jingfeng Gao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Yi Guo
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yingchao Cui
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yuwei Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Wanjun Duan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Zejie Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
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145
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van Dijk HFG, Verbrugh HA, Abee T, Andriessen JW, van Dijk HFG, ter Kuile BH, Mevius DJ, Montforts MHMM, van Schaik W, Schmitt H, Smidt H, Veening JW, Voss A. Resisting disinfectants. COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE 2022; 2:6. [PMID: 35603291 PMCID: PMC9053202 DOI: 10.1038/s43856-021-00070-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
van Dijk et al. discuss the potential for antimicrobial resistance as a consequence of disinfectant use. The authors advocate for the prudent use of disinfectants in all sectors of society.
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146
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Jia Y, Yang B, Shi J, Fang D, Wang Z, Liu Y. Melatonin prevents conjugative transfer of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance genes by disrupting proton motive force. Pharmacol Res 2022; 175:105978. [PMID: 34813930 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The widespread dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is a serious problem and constitutes a threat for public health. Plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer of ARGs is recognized as one of the most important pathways accounting for this global crisis. Inhibiting the conjugative transfer of resistant gene-bearing plasmids provides a feasible strategy to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance. Here we found that melatonin, a neurohormone secreted from pineal gland, substantially inhibited the horizontal transfer of RP4-7 plasmid in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, melatonin could also suppress the conjugal frequency of different types of clinical plasmids that carrying colistin resistance gene mcr-1 rather than blaNDM or tet(X) genes. Next, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effect of melatonin on conjugation. As a result, we showed that the addition of melatonin markedly reduced bacterial membrane permeability and inhibited the oxidative stress. In line with these observations, the conjugative transfer-related genes were regulated accordingly. Most importantly, we uncovered that melatonin disrupted bacterial proton motive force (PMF), which is an essential bacterial energy metabolism substance and is important for conjugative process. Collectively, these results provide implications that some non-antibiotics such as melatonin are effective inhibitors of transmission of ARGs and raise a promising strategy to confront the increasing resistant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqian Jia
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Bingqing Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Jingru Shi
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Dan Fang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
| | - Yuan Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
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147
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Ma X, Zhang X, Xia J, Sun H, Zhang X, Ye L. Phenolic compounds promote the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 800:149549. [PMID: 34392203 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Phenolic compounds are common organic pollutants in wastewater. During the wastewater treatment process, these compounds may influence the microbial community structure and functions. However, the impact of the phenolic compounds in the wastewater treatment plants on the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has not been well assessed. In this study, we investigated the horizontal transfer of ARGs under the stress of phenolic compounds. The results showed that in pure culture bacteria system, p-nitrophenol (PNP), p-aminophenol (PAP) and phenol (PhOH) (10-100 mg/L) can significantly increase the horizontal transfer frequency of ARGs by 2.2-4.6, 3.6-9.4 and 1.9-9.0 fold, respectively. And, the RP4 plasmid transfer from Escherichia coli HB101 (E. coli HB101) to the bacteria in activated sludge increased obviously under the stress of phenolic compounds. Further investigation revealed that the PNP and PhOH at the concentration of 10-100 mg/L increased the production of reactive oxygen species and the permeability of cell membrane in the donor and recipient, which could be the causes of horizontal transfer of RP4 plasmid. In addition, it was also found that PNP, PAP and PhOH stress inhibit the expression of the global regulatory genes korB and trbA in the RP4 plasmid, and increase the expression level of the traF gene, thereby promoting the conjugative transfer of the RP4 plasmid. Taken together, these results improved our understanding of the horizontal transfer of ARGs under the stress of phenolic compounds and provided basic information for management of the systems that treat wastewater containing phenolic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiuwen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Juntao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Haohao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xuxiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Lin Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China.
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148
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Ren CY, Wu EL, Hartmann EM, Zhao HP. Biological Mitigation of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Dissemination by Antioxidant-Producing Microorganisms in Activated Sludge Systems. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:15831-15842. [PMID: 34615350 PMCID: PMC9529052 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c04641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is the principal mechanism of an evergrowing bacterial threat. Antibiotic residues in the environment are a major contributor to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics cause bacteria to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can lead to mutagenesis and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs; however, little is known about the mitigation of ARG dissemination through ROS removal by antioxidants. In this study, we examine how antioxidant-producing microorganisms inoculated in replicate activated sludge systems can biologically mitigate the dissemination of ARGs. Through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we showed that antioxidant-producing microorganisms could decrease the persistence of the RP4 plasmid and alleviate enrichment of ARGs (sul1) and class 1 integrons (intl1). Metagenomic sequencing identified the most diverse resistome and the most mutated Escherichia coli ARGs in the reactor that contained antibiotics but no antioxidant-producing microorganisms, suggesting that antioxidant-producing microorganisms mitigated ARG enrichment and mutation. Host classification revealed that antioxidant-producing microorganisms decreased the diversity of ARG hosts by shaping the microbial community through competition and functional pathway changes. Conjugative experiments demonstrated that conjugative transfer of ARGs could be mitigated by coculture with antioxidant-producing microorganisms. Overall, this is a novel study that shows how ARG enrichment and HGT can be mitigated through bioaugmentation with antioxidant-producing microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong-Yang Ren
- MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 310058
| | - En-Ling Wu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Erica M. Hartmann
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - He-Ping Zhao
- MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 310058
- Corresponding Author He-Ping Zhao – MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science and Key Lab of Water Pollution Control & Environmental Safety of Zhejiang province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Phone: 0086-571-88982739;
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149
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Zhang H, Liu J, Wang L, Zhai Z. Glyphosate escalates horizontal transfer of conjugative plasmid harboring antibiotic resistance genes. Bioengineered 2021; 12:63-69. [PMID: 33345705 PMCID: PMC8806241 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2020.1862995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Glyphosate has been frequently detected in water environments because of the wide use for controlling weed in farm lands and urban areas. Presently, the focus of the majority of studies is placed on the toxicity of glyphosate on humans and animals. However, the effects of glyphosate on horizontal transfer of conjugative plasmid carrying antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) are largely unknown. Here, we explored the ability and potential mechanism of glyphosate for accelerating horizontal transfer of conjugative plasmid-mediated ARG. The results showed that glyphosate can effectively boost horizontal transfer rate of conjugative plasmid carrying ARG. The possible mechanism analysis demonstrated that over-production of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species effectively regulated expression levels of bacterial outer membrane protein and conjugative transfer-related genes, thereby resulting into elevated horizontal transfer rate of plasmid-mediated ARG. In conclusion, this study casts new understanding into the biological effects of glyphosate on ARG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongna Zhang
- College of Bioscience and Engineering, Hebei University of Economics and Business, Shijiazhuang City, China
| | - Jingbo Liu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an City, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an City, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Institute of Microbiology, The Second Children & Women’s Healthcare Center of Jinan City, Jinan City, China
| | - Zhenzhen Zhai
- Institute of Microbiology, Tai’an City Central Hospital, Tai’an City, China
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150
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Luo J, Zhang L, Du W, Cheng X, Fang F, Cao J, Wu Y, Su Y. Metagenomic approach reveals the fates and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance genes exposed to allicins during waste activated sludge fermentation: Insight of the microbial community, cellular status and gene regulation. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 342:125998. [PMID: 34592621 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This work revealed the impacts of exogeneous allicins on the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) variations during waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentation process. The overall abundance of ARGs was respectively reduced by 4.84 and 9.42% in presence of 0.01 and 0.05 g allicin/g TSS. Allicins disrupted the EPS structure and increased the permeability of cell membranes, which resulted in the release of ARGs for subsequent removal. Allicins also reduced intracellular ATP levels, which was disadvantageous to ARGs dissemination. Besides, allicins affected the microbial community and decreased the abundance of potential hosts based on bacterial taxa-ARGs network analysis. Moreover, the metabolic pathways and genetic expressions (i.e., two-component system, quorum sensing, and SOS response) involved in ARGs propagation were down-regulated, which caused the ARGs alleviation in allicins-stressed reactors. Overall, the simultaneous responses of cellular status, bacterial host, and genetic regulation accounted for the effective ARGs reduction induced by allicins during WAS fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyang Luo
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Le Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Wei Du
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Xiaoshi Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Fang Fang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Jiashun Cao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Yang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yinglong Su
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Biotransformation on Organic Solid Waste, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences. East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
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