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Watson E, Hamilton S, Silva N, Moss S, Watkins C, Baily J, Forster T, Hall AJ, Dagleish MP. Variations in antimicrobial resistance genes present in the rectal faeces of seals in Scottish and Liverpool Bay coastal waters. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 349:123936. [PMID: 38588972 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123936] [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: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance genes originating from human activity are considered important environmental pollutants. Wildlife species can act as sentinels for coastal environmental contamination and in this study we used qPCR array technology to investigate the variety and abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and integrons circulating within seal populations both near to and far from large human populations located around the Scottish and northwest English coast. Rectal swabs were taken from 50 live grey seals and nine live harbour seals. Nucleic acids were stabilised upon collection, enabling extraction of sufficient quality and quantity DNA for downstream analysis. 78 ARG targets, including genes of clinical significance, four MGE targets and three integron targets were used to monitor genes within 22 sample pools. 30 ARGs were detected, as well as the integrons intl1 and intl2 and tnpA transposase. Four β-lactam, nine tetracycline, two phenicol, one trimethoprim, three aminoglycoside and ten multidrug resistance genes were detected as well as mcr-1 which confers resistance to colistin, an important drug of last resort. No sulphonamide, vancomycin, macrolide, lincosamide or streptogramin B (MLSB) resistance genes were detected. Resistance genes were detected in all sites but the highest number of ARGs (n = 29) was detected in samples derived from grey seals on the Isle of May, Scotland during the breeding season, and these genes also had the highest average abundance in relation to the 16S rRNA gene. This pilot study demonstrates the effectiveness of a culture-independent workflow for global analysis of ARGs within the microbiota of live, free-ranging, wild animals from habitats close to and remote from human habitation, and highlights seals as a valuable indicator species for monitoring the presence, abundance and land-sea transference of resistance genes within and between ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Watson
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK.
| | - Scott Hamilton
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Nuno Silva
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Simon Moss
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, Scotland, UK
| | - Craig Watkins
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Johanna Baily
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Thorsten Forster
- LifeArc, Bioquarter, 9 Little France Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4UX, Scotland, UK
| | - Ailsa J Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, Scotland, UK
| | - Mark P Dagleish
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK
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Wang X, Wu X, Shang Y, Mei X, Zhou S, Wei Q, Sun G, Dong Y, Zhang H. Convergent evolution of the gut microbiome in marine carnivores. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9373. [PMID: 36203637 PMCID: PMC9526120 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome can help the host adapt to a variety of environments and is affected by many factors. Marine carnivores have unique habitats in extreme environments. The question of whether marine habitats surpass phylogeny to drive the convergent evolution of the gut microbiome in marine carnivores remains unanswered. In the present study, we compared the gut microbiomes of 16 species from different habitats. Principal component analysis (PCA) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) separated three groups according to their gut microbiomes: marine carnivores, terrestrial carnivores, and terrestrial herbivores. The alpha diversity and niche breadth of the gut microbiome of marine carnivores were lower than those of the gut microbiome of terrestrial carnivores and terrestrial herbivores. The gut microbiome of marine carnivores harbored many marine microbiotas, including those belonging to the phyla Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, and Proteobacteria, and the genus Peptoclostridium. Collectively, these results revealed that marine habitats drive the convergent evolution of the gut microbiome of marine carnivores. This study provides a new perspective on the adaptive evolution of marine carnivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xibao Wang
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Xiaoyang Wu
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Yongquan Shang
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Xuesong Mei
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Shengyang Zhou
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Qinguo Wei
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Guolei Sun
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Yuehuan Dong
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Honghai Zhang
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
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