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Pino-Otín MR, Lorca G, Langa E, Roig F, Terrado EM, Ballestero D. Assessing the Ecotoxicity of Eight Widely Used Antibiotics on River Microbial Communities. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16960. [PMID: 38069283 PMCID: PMC10707202 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Global prevalence of antibiotic residues (ABX) in rivers requires ecotoxicological impact assessment. River microbial communities serve as effective bioindicators for this purpose. We quantified the effects of eight commonly used ABXs on a freshwater river microbial community using Biolog EcoPlates™, enabling the assessment of growth and physiological profile changes. Microbial community characterization involved 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The river community structure was representative of aquatic ecosystems, with the prevalence of Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Our findings reveal that all ABXs at 100 µg/mL reduced microbial community growth and metabolic capacity, particularly for polymers, carbohydrates, carboxylic, and ketonic acids. Chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and gentamicin exhibited the highest toxicity, with chloramphenicol notably impairing the metabolism of all studied metabolite groups. At lower concentrations (1 µg/mL), some ABXs slightly enhanced growth and the capacity to metabolize substrates, such as carbohydrates, carboxylic, and ketonic acids, and amines, except for amoxicillin, which decreased the metabolic capacity across all metabolites. We explored potential correlations between physicochemical parameters and drug mechanisms to understand drug bioavailability. Acute toxicity effects at the river-detected low concentrations (ng/L) are unlikely. However, they may disrupt microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems. The utilization of a wide array of genetically characterized microbial communities, as opposed to a single species, enables a better understanding of the impact of ABXs on complex river ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Rosa Pino-Otín
- Faculty of Health Sciences, San Jorge University, 50830 Zaragoza, Spain; (G.L.); (E.L.); (F.R.); (E.M.T.); (D.B.)
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Han B, Yang F, Shen S, Mu M, Zhang K. Effects of soil habitat changes on antibiotic resistance genes and related microbiomes in paddy fields. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 895:165109. [PMID: 37385504 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165109] [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: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
The changes of paddy soil habitat profoundly affect the structure and function of soil microorganisms, but how this process drives the growth and spread of manure- derived antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) after entering the soil is unclear. Herein, this study explored the environmental fate and behavior of various ARGs in the paddy soil during rice growth period. Results showed that most ARG abundances in flooded soil was lower than that in non-flooded soil during rice growth (decreased by 33.4 %). And soil dry-wet alternation altered microbial community structure in paddy field (P < 0.05), showing that Actinobacteria and Firmicutes increased in proportion under non-flooded conditions, and Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria evolved into the dominant groups in flooded soil. Meanwhile, the correlation between ARGs and bacterial communities was stronger than that with mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in both flooded and non-flooded paddy soils. Furthermore, soil properties, especially oxidation reduction potential (ORP), were proved to be an essential factor in regulating the variability of ARGs in the whole rice growth stage by structural equation model, with a direct influence (λ = 0.38, P < 0.05), following by similar effects of bacterial communities and MGEs (λ = 0.36, P < 0.05; λ = 0.29, P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that soil dry-wet alternation effectively reduced the proliferation and dissemination of most ARGs in paddy fields, providing a novel agronomic measure for pollution control of antibiotic resistance in farmland ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingjun Han
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China
| | - Fengxia Yang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China.
| | - Shizhou Shen
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China; Dali, Yunnan, Agro-Ecosystem, National Observation and Research Station, Dali, China
| | - Meirui Mu
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China
| | - Keqiang Zhang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China; Dali, Yunnan, Agro-Ecosystem, National Observation and Research Station, Dali, China.
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Bhat BA, Mir RA, Qadri H, Dhiman R, Almilaibary A, Alkhanani M, Mir MA. Integrons in the development of antimicrobial resistance: critical review and perspectives. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1231938. [PMID: 37720149 PMCID: PMC10500605 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1231938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance development and pathogen cross-dissemination are both considered essential risks to human health on a worldwide scale. Antimicrobial resistance genes (AMRs) are acquired, expressed, disseminated, and traded mainly through integrons, the key players capable of transferring genes from bacterial chromosomes to plasmids and their integration by integrase to the target pathogenic host. Moreover, integrons play a central role in disseminating and assembling genes connected with antibiotic resistance in pathogenic and commensal bacterial species. They exhibit a large and concealed diversity in the natural environment, raising concerns about their potential for comprehensive application in bacterial adaptation. They should be viewed as a dangerous pool of resistance determinants from the "One Health approach." Among the three documented classes of integrons reported viz., class-1, 2, and 3, class 1 has been found frequently associated with AMRs in humans and is a critical genetic element to serve as a target for therapeutics to AMRs through gene silencing or combinatorial therapies. The direct method of screening gene cassettes linked to pathogenesis and resistance harbored by integrons is a novel way to assess human health. In the last decade, they have witnessed surveying the integron-associated gene cassettes associated with increased drug tolerance and rising pathogenicity of human pathogenic microbes. Consequently, we aimed to unravel the structure and functions of integrons and their integration mechanism by understanding horizontal gene transfer from one trophic group to another. Many updates for the gene cassettes harbored by integrons related to resistance and pathogenicity are extensively explored. Additionally, an updated account of the assessment of AMRs and prevailing antibiotic resistance by integrons in humans is grossly detailed-lastly, the estimation of AMR dissemination by employing integrons as potential biomarkers are also highlighted. The current review on integrons will pave the way to clinical understanding for devising a roadmap solution to AMR and pathogenicity. Graphical AbstractThe graphical abstract displays how integron-aided AMRs to humans: Transposons capture integron gene cassettes to yield high mobility integrons that target res sites of plasmids. These plasmids, in turn, promote the mobility of acquired integrons into diverse bacterial species. The acquisitions of resistant genes are transferred to humans through horizontal gene transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basharat Ahmad Bhat
- Department of Bio-Resources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Rakeeb Ahmad Mir
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Kashmir, Ganderbal, India
| | - Hafsa Qadri
- Department of Bio-Resources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Rohan Dhiman
- Department of Life Sciences, National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Abdullah Almilaibary
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baha University, Al Bahah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mustfa Alkhanani
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Hafr Al Batin University of Hafr Al-Batin, Hafar Al Batin, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manzoor Ahmad Mir
- Department of Bio-Resources, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
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An XL, Abass OK, Zhao CX, Xu MR, Pan T, Pu Q, Liao H, Li H, Zhu YG, Su JQ. Nanopore sequencing analysis of integron gene cassettes in sewages and soils. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 817:152766. [PMID: 35007603 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152766] [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: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Integrons are genetic elements that can facilitate rapid spread of antibiotic resistance by insertion and removal of genes. However, knowledge about the diversity and distribution of gene cassettes embedded in class 1 integron is still limited. In this study, we sequenced integron gene cassettes using nanopore sequencing and quantified antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and integrase genes in the manured soils and sewages of a bioreactor. The results showed that class 1 integron integrase genes were the most abundant in soils and sewages compared with class 2 and class 3 integrase genes. Long-term manure application exacerbated the enrichment of total ARGs, integrase genes and antibiotic resistance-associated gene cassettes, while antibiotics and heavy metals showed no impact on the overall resistome profile. Sewage treatment could efficiently remove the absolute abundance of integrase genes (~3 orders of magnitude, copies/L) and antibiotic resistance gene cassettes. The resistance gene cassettes mainly carried the ARGs conferring resistance to aminoglycoside and beta-lactams in soils and sewages, some of which were persistent during the sewage treatment. This study underlined that soil and sewage were potential reservoirs for integron-mediated ARGs transfer, indicating that anthropogenic activity played a vital role in the prevalence and diversity of resistance gene cassettes in integrons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Li An
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Olusegun K Abass
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore
| | - Cai-Xia Zhao
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; College of Resource and Environmental Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Mei-Rong Xu
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Ting Pan
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qiang Pu
- Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Hu Liao
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hu Li
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Yong-Guan Zhu
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jian-Qiang Su
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China.
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Ghaly TM, Penesyan A, Pritchard A, Qi Q, Rajabal V, Tetu SG, Gillings MR. Methods for the targeted sequencing and analysis of integrons and their gene cassettes from complex microbial communities. Microb Genom 2022; 8. [PMID: 35298369 PMCID: PMC9176274 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Integrons are microbial genetic elements that can integrate mobile gene cassettes. They are mostly known for spreading antibiotic resistance cassettes among human pathogens. However, beyond clinical settings, gene cassettes encode an extraordinarily diverse range of functions important for bacterial adaptation. The recovery and sequencing of cassettes has promising applications, including: surveillance of clinically important genes, particularly antibiotic resistance determinants; investigating the functional diversity of integron-carrying bacteria; and novel enzyme discovery. Although gene cassettes can be directly recovered using PCR, there are no standardised methods for their amplification and, importantly, for validating sequences as genuine integron gene cassettes. Here, we present reproducible methods for the amplification, sequence processing, and validation of gene cassette amplicons from complex communities. We describe two different PCR assays that either amplify cassettes together with integron integrases, or gene cassettes together within cassette arrays. We compare the performance of Nanopore and Illumina sequencing, and present bioinformatic pipelines that filter sequences to ensure that they represent amplicons from genuine integrons. Using a diverse set of environmental DNAs, we show that our approach can consistently recover thousands of unique cassettes per sample and up to hundreds of different integron integrases. Recovered cassettes confer a wide range of functions, including antibiotic resistance, with as many as 300 resistance cassettes found in a single sample. In particular, we show that class one integrons are collecting and concentrating resistance genes out of the broader diversity of cassette functions. The methods described here can be applied to any environmental or clinical microbiome sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M Ghaly
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Anahit Penesyan
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Alexander Pritchard
- Division of Food Sciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough LE12 5RD, Australia
| | - Qin Qi
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Vaheesan Rajabal
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Sasha G Tetu
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Michael R Gillings
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
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Ghaly TM, Gillings MR, Penesyan A, Qi Q, Rajabal V, Tetu SG. The Natural History of Integrons. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2212. [PMID: 34835338 PMCID: PMC8618304 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrons were first identified because of their central role in assembling and disseminating antibiotic resistance genes in commensal and pathogenic bacteria. However, these clinically relevant integrons represent only a small proportion of integron diversity. Integrons are now known to be ancient genetic elements that are hotspots for genomic diversity, helping to generate adaptive phenotypes. This perspective examines the diversity, functions, and activities of integrons within both natural and clinical environments. We show how the fundamental properties of integrons exquisitely pre-adapted them to respond to the selection pressures imposed by the human use of antimicrobial compounds. We then follow the extraordinary increase in abundance of one class of integrons (class 1) that has resulted from its acquisition by multiple mobile genetic elements, and subsequent colonisation of diverse bacterial species, and a wide range of animal hosts. Consequently, this class of integrons has become a significant pollutant in its own right, to the extent that it can now be detected in most ecosystems. As human activities continue to drive environmental instability, integrons will likely continue to play key roles in bacterial adaptation in both natural and clinical settings. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of integrons can help us predict and shape these outcomes that have direct relevance to human and ecosystem health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M. Ghaly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; (T.M.G.); (A.P.); (Q.Q.); (V.R.)
| | - Michael R. Gillings
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; (T.M.G.); (A.P.); (Q.Q.); (V.R.)
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia;
| | - Anahit Penesyan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; (T.M.G.); (A.P.); (Q.Q.); (V.R.)
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia;
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Qin Qi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; (T.M.G.); (A.P.); (Q.Q.); (V.R.)
| | - Vaheesan Rajabal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; (T.M.G.); (A.P.); (Q.Q.); (V.R.)
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia;
| | - Sasha G. Tetu
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia;
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
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