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Goswami A, Adkins-Jablonsky SJ, Barreto Filho MM, Shilling MD, Dawson A, Heiser S, O’Connor A, Walker M, Roberts Q, Morris JJ. Heavy Metal Pollution Impacts Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Antimicrobial Resistance at the Birmingham 35th Avenue Superfund Site. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0242622. [PMID: 36951567 PMCID: PMC10101053 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02426-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Heavy metals (HMs) are known to modify bacterial communities both in the laboratory and in situ. Consequently, soils in HM-contaminated sites such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund sites are predicted to have altered ecosystem functioning, with potential ramifications for the health of organisms, including humans, that live nearby. Further, several studies have shown that heavy metal-resistant (HMR) bacteria often also display antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and therefore HM-contaminated soils could potentially act as reservoirs that could disseminate AMR genes into human-associated pathogenic bacteria. To explore this possibility, topsoil samples were collected from six public locations in the zip code 35207 (the home of the North Birmingham 35th Avenue Superfund Site) and in six public areas in the neighboring zip code, 35214. 35027 soils had significantly elevated levels of the HMs As, Mn, Pb, and Zn, and sequencing of the V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed that elevated HM concentrations correlated with reduced microbial diversity and altered community structure. While there was no difference between zip codes in the proportion of total culturable HMR bacteria, bacterial isolates with HMR almost always also exhibited AMR. Metagenomes inferred using PICRUSt2 also predicted significantly higher mean relative frequencies in 35207 for several AMR genes related to both specific and broad-spectrum AMR phenotypes. Together, these results support the hypothesis that chronic HM pollution alters the soil bacterial community structure in ecologically meaningful ways and may also select for bacteria with increased potential to contribute to AMR in human disease. IMPORTANCE Heavy metals cross-select for antimicrobial resistance in laboratory experiments, but few studies have documented this effect in polluted soils. Moreover, despite decades of awareness of heavy metal contamination at the EPA Superfund site in North Birmingham, Alabama, this is the first analysis of the impact of this pollution on the soil microbiome. Specifically, this work advances the understanding of the relationship between heavy metals, microbial diversity, and patterns of antibiotic resistance in North Birmingham soils. Our results suggest that polluted soils carry a risk of increased exposure to antibiotic-resistant infections in addition to the direct health consequences of heavy metals. Our work provides important information relevant to both political and scientific efforts to advance environmental justice for the communities that call Superfund neighborhoods home.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Goswami
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Sarah J. Adkins-Jablonsky
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dothan, Alabama, USA
| | | | - Michelle D. Shilling
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Alex Dawson
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Sabrina Heiser
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Aisha O’Connor
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Melissa Walker
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Qutia Roberts
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - J. Jeffrey Morris
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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Shui J, Tuo H, Liu J, Zhang X, Feng J, Feng Y, Su W, Lin C, Zhang H, Tu Z, Wang H, Zhang A. Insights into the fates of plasmids and antimicrobial resistance genes during swine manure treatment and related factors based on plasmidome and metagenome analyses. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:69037-69047. [PMID: 35562609 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20574-7] [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: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Swine manure treatment plants are important reservoirs of plasmid-harboring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and physicochemical contaminants, but the changes in the abundances of plasmids and ARGs, and their interactions with the physicochemical properties of manure, are still unclear. Thus, in the present study, plasmidome and metagenome analyses were conducted for samples collected at different stages in the swine manure treatment process. The results indicated that anaerobic digestion and aerobic digestion were the most efficient stages for reducing the abundances of ARGs in swine manure. However, the plasmids associated with ARGs were not effectively removed in these stages. Through the whole treatment process, the IncL/M, IncQ1, IncHI2A, IncA/C, and IncN plasmid groups had strong correlations (r > 0.8, P < 0.01) with most ARG types, thereby indicating that these plasmids play important roles in the persistence of ARGs in this environment. Furthermore, the pH, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and four heavy metals (Cu, Zn, As, and Fe) significantly affected the abundances of seven ARG subtypes (tetB(P), ant(6)-Ia, tet44, aph(3'')-Ib, mefB, tet(L), and tet(39)). In particular, florfenicol had the most positive correlations with ARGs. Our results indicated that nutrients, heavy metals, and antibiotics all contributed to the presence and persistence of plasmid-harboring ARGs. This study provides insights into the fate of plasmids and ARGs, and related factors during the swine manure treatment process, thereby facilitating the development of a new treatment technique for removing ARGs and reducing the public health risk associated with livestock production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junrui Shui
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Hongmei Tuo
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Jinxin Liu
- Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Nutrition and Animal Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Xialan Zhang
- Central Agricultural Broadcasting and Television School (Banan, Chongqing), Chongqing, 401320, China
| | - Jingyi Feng
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Yuxuan Feng
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Wen Su
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Cong Lin
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Haoyu Zhang
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Zunfang Tu
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Hongning Wang
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China
| | - Anyun Zhang
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu, 610010, NOSichuan, China.
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3
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Ul Haq H, Huang W, Li Y, Zhang T, Ma S, Zhang Y, Song Y, Lin D, Tian B. Genetic and genomic characterization of multidrug resistant Bacillus subtilis M3 isolated from an activated sludge reactor treating wastewater. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-021-01006-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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4
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Garner E, Davis BC, Milligan E, Blair MF, Keenum I, Maile-Moskowitz A, Pan J, Gnegy M, Liguori K, Gupta S, Prussin AJ, Marr LC, Heath LS, Vikesland PJ, Zhang L, Pruden A. Next generation sequencing approaches to evaluate water and wastewater quality. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 194:116907. [PMID: 33610927 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.116907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of next generation sequencing (NGS) is revolutionizing the potential to address complex microbiological challenges in the water industry. NGS technologies can provide holistic insight into microbial communities and their functional capacities in water and wastewater systems, thus eliminating the need to develop a new assay for each target organism or gene. However, several barriers have hampered wide-scale adoption of NGS by the water industry, including cost, need for specialized expertise and equipment, challenges with data analysis and interpretation, lack of standardized methods, and the rapid pace of development of new technologies. In this critical review, we provide an overview of the current state of the science of NGS technologies as they apply to water, wastewater, and recycled water. In addition, a systematic literature review was conducted in which we identified over 600 peer-reviewed journal articles on this topic and summarized their contributions to six key areas relevant to the water and wastewater fields: taxonomic classification and pathogen detection, functional and catabolic gene characterization, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiling, bacterial toxicity characterization, Cyanobacteria and harmful algal bloom identification, and virus characterization. For each application, we have presented key trends, noteworthy advancements, and proposed future directions. Finally, key needs to advance NGS technologies for broader application in water and wastewater fields are assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Garner
- Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, 1306 Evansdale Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505, United States.
| | - Benjamin C Davis
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Erin Milligan
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Matthew Forrest Blair
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Ishi Keenum
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Ayella Maile-Moskowitz
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Jin Pan
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Mariah Gnegy
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Krista Liguori
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Suraj Gupta
- The Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Aaron J Prussin
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Linsey C Marr
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Lenwood S Heath
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, 225 Stranger Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Peter J Vikesland
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Liqing Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, 225 Stranger Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Amy Pruden
- Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States.
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5
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Fang Z, Tan J, Wu S, Li M, Wang C, Liu Y, Zhu H. PlasGUN: gene prediction in plasmid metagenomic short reads using deep learning. Bioinformatics 2020; 36:3239-3241. [PMID: 32091572 PMCID: PMC7214025 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btaa103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY We present the first tool of gene prediction, PlasGUN, for plasmid metagenomic short-read data. The tool, developed based on deep learning algorithm of multiple input Convolutional Neural Network, demonstrates much better performance when tested on a benchmark dataset of artificial short reads and presents more reliable results for real plasmid metagenomic data than traditional gene prediction tools designed primarily for chromosome-derived short reads. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The PlasGUN software is available at http://cqb.pku.edu.cn/ZhuLab/PlasGUN/ or https://github.com/zhenchengfang/PlasGUN/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhencheng Fang
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jie Tan
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shufang Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Mo Li
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Chunhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yongchu Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Huaiqiu Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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6
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Wang Q, Liang J, Zhang S, Yoza BA, Li QX, Zhan Y, Ye H, Zhao P, Chen C. Characteristics of bacterial populations in an industrial scale petrochemical wastewater treatment plant: Composition, function and their association with environmental factors. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 189:109939. [PMID: 32980019 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The efficiency of petrochemical wastewater biological treatment is dependent upon complex bacterial communities. A well understanding of the structure and function of bacterial community and their association with environmental variables is essential for the elucidation of contaminant removal mechanisms and optimization of wastewater treatment processes. In this study, the bacterial communities and metabolic functions in the primary hydrolysis acidification unit (PHAU), cyclic activated sludge system (CASS), secondary hydrolysis acidification unit (SHAU), and biological aerated filter (BAF) of a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were studied via Illumina high-throughput sequencing. The correlations between bacterial community and environmental variables were also investigated. The phylum Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes were dominant in the petroleum WWTP. The bacterial communities varied with wastewater characteristics and operational parameters, as a result of the differences in biosystems functions. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the genes involved in the degradation of benzoate, nitrotoluene and aminobenzoate degradation were abundant in PHAU, and the genes related to the degradation of benzoate, aminobenzoate, chloroalkane, chloroalkene, caprolactam, naphthalene and toluene were abundant in CASS, SHAU and BAF. The Redundancy analysis (RDA) suggested that biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), NH4+-N and total nitrogen concentrations exhibited significant impacts in shaping the structure of bacterial community. Variance partitioning analysis (VPA) showed that 18.6% of the community variance was related to wastewater characteristics, higher than operational parameters of 4.5%. These results provide insight into microbial community structure and metabolic function during petrochemical wastewater treatment, and discern the relationships between bacterial community and environmental variables, which can provide basic data and a theoretical analysis of the design and operation optimization in petrochemical WWTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinghong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
| | - Jiahao Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
| | - Simin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
| | - Brandon A Yoza
- Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, United States
| | - Qing X Li
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, United States
| | - Yali Zhan
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
| | - Huangfan Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
| | - Peng Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Chunmao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China
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7
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Piotrowska M, Dziewit L, Ostrowski R, Chmielowska C, Popowska M. Molecular Characterization and Comparative Genomics of IncQ-3 Plasmids Conferring Resistance to Various Antibiotics Isolated from a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Warsaw (Poland). Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:antibiotics9090613. [PMID: 32957637 PMCID: PMC7557826 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9090613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
As small, mobilizable replicons with a broad host range, IncQ plasmids are widely distributed among clinical and environmental bacteria. They carry antibiotic resistance genes, and it has been shown that they confer resistance to β-lactams, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim, sulphonamides, and tetracycline. The previously proposed classification system divides the plasmid group into four subgroups, i.e., IncQ-1, IncQ-2, IncQ-3, and IncQ-4. The last two subgroups have been poorly described so far. The aim of this study was to analyze five newly identified IncQ-3 plasmids isolated from a wastewater treatment plant in Poland and to compare them with all known plasmids belonging to the IncQ-3 subgroup whose sequences were retrieved from the NCBI database. The complete nucleotide sequences of the novel plasmids were annotated and bioinformatic analyses were performed, including identification of core genes and auxiliary genetic load. Furthermore, functional experiments testing plasmid mobility were carried out. Phylogenetic analysis based on three core genes (repA, mobA/repB, and mobC) revealed the presence of three main clusters of IncQ-3 replicons. Apart from having a highly conserved core, the analyzed IncQ-3 plasmids were vectors of antibiotic resistance genes, including (I) the qnrS2 gene that encodes fluoroquinolone resistance and (II) β-lactam, trimethoprim, and aminoglycoside resistance genes within integron cassettes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Piotrowska
- Department of Bacterial Physiology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lukasz Dziewit
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Rafał Ostrowski
- Department of Bacterial Physiology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Cora Chmielowska
- Department of Bacterial Genetics, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Popowska
- Department of Bacterial Physiology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
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8
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Yang F, Han B, Gu Y, Zhang K. Swine liquid manure: a hotspot of mobile genetic elements and antibiotic resistance genes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15037. [PMID: 32929149 PMCID: PMC7490410 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72149-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The overuse or abuse of antibiotics as veterinary medicine and growth promoters accelerates antibiotic resistance, creating a serious threat to public health in the world. Swine liquid manure as an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has received much attention, but little information is known regarding the occurrence, persistence and fate of ARGs-associated mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in swine farms, especially their change patterns and removal in full-scale piggery wastewater treatment systems (PWWTSs). In this study, we searched the presence and distribution of MGEs and associated ARGs in swine farms, and addressed their fate and seasonal variation in full-scale PWWTSs by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Our results revealed class 1 integrons, class 2 integrons and conjugative plasmids were prevalent in pig feces and piggery wastewater. A clear pattern of these MGE levels in swine liquid manure was also observed, i.e., intI1 > intI2 > traA (p < 0.01), and their absolute abundances in winter were all higher than that in summer with 0.07-2.23 logs. Notably, MGEs and ARGs prevailed through various treatment units of PWWTSs, and considerable levels of them were present in the treated effluent discharged from swine farms (up to 101-107 copies/mL for MGEs and 103-108 copies/mL for ARGs). There were significant correlations between most ARG abundance and MGE levels (p < 0.05), such as tetQ and traA (r = 0.775), sul1 and intI1 (r = 0.847), qnrS and inI2 (r = 0.859), suggesting the potential of ARGs-horizontal transfer. Thus the high prevalence and enrichment of MGEs and ARGs occurred in pig feces and piggery wastewater, also implicating that swine liquid manure could be a hotspot for horizontal transfer of ARGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengxia Yang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, 300191, China
| | - Bingjun Han
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, 300191, China
| | - Yanru Gu
- College of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150036, China
| | - Keqiang Zhang
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, 300191, China.
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9
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Hilpert C, Bricheux G, Debroas D. Reconstruction of plasmids by shotgun sequencing from environmental DNA: which bioinformatic workflow? Brief Bioinform 2020; 22:5838452. [PMID: 32427283 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbaa059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids play important roles in microbial evolution and also in the spread of antibiotic resistance. Plasmid sequences are extensively studied from clinical isolates but rarely from the environment with a metagenomic approach focused on the plasmid fraction referred to as the plasmidome. A clear challenge in this context is to define a workflow for discriminating plasmids from chromosomal contaminants existing in the plasmidome. For this purpose, we benchmarked existing tools from assembly to detection of the plasmids by reference-free methods (cBar and PlasFlow) and database-guided approaches. Our simulations took into account short-reads alone or combined with moderate long-reads like those actually generated in environmental genomics experiments. This benchmark allowed us to select the best tools for limiting false-positives associated to plasmid prediction tools and a combination of reference-guided methods based on plasmid and bacterial databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Hilpert
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Laboratoire Microorganismes: Genome et Environnement, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Geneviève Bricheux
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Laboratoire Microorganismes: Genome et Environnement, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Didier Debroas
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Laboratoire Microorganismes: Genome et Environnement, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Cui Q, Liu H, Yang HW, Lu Y, Chen Z, Hu HY. Bacterial removal performance and community changes during advanced treatment process: A case study at a full-scale water reclamation plant. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 705:135811. [PMID: 31837874 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Advanced treatment is of great significance to water reclamation and reuse, which can improve water quality, control microbial risks and guarantee the safety of water reuse. This study evaluates the microbial quantity and bacterial community dynamics during advanced wastewater treatment and reuse processes (i.e. denitrification biofilter (DNBF), ultrafiltration (UF), ozonation, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection) at a large-scale water reclamation plant. It is found that different treatment processes had significant influence on the cultivability of total bacteria and the log reduction values of fecal coliform at DNBF, UF, ozonation and UV are calculated as 0.38, 2.46, 0.38 and 1.63 respectively. Moreover, the bacterial diversity in the treatment process showed apparent spatial differences, among which the effluent from ozonation process had the lowest bacterial diversity. Sequencing analysis indicated the existence of pathogenic bacterium such as Arcobacter, Bacteroides and Pseudomonas in the secondary effluent. Notably, Pseudomonas remained the most dominant species (relative abundance 41.9% in UV effluent) in reclaimed water after advanced treatment processes, which calls for high attention to sustainable water reuse. In order to inhibit bacterial regrowth in the storage tank, chlorine disinfection is recommended to improve the continuous disinfection capability of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Cui
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Hai Liu
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Hong-Wei Yang
- Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua University, Suzhou 215163, PR China
| | - Yun Lu
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
| | - Hong-Ying Hu
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China; Shenzhen Environmental Science and New Energy Technology Engineering Laboratory, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Shenzhen 518055, PR China.
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11
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Dissemination prevention of antibiotic resistant and facultative pathogenic bacteria by ultrafiltration and ozone treatment at an urban wastewater treatment plant. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12843. [PMID: 31492933 PMCID: PMC6731226 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49263-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Conventional wastewater treatment is not sufficient for the removal of hygienically relevant bacteria and achieves only limited reductions. This study focuses on the reduction efficiencies of two semi-industrial ultrafiltration units operating at a large scale municipal wastewater treatment plant. In total, 7 clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes, together with 3 taxonomic gene markers targeting specific facultative pathogenic bacteria were analysed via qPCR analyses before and after advanced treatment. In parallel with membrane technologies, an ozone treatment (1 g ozone/g DOC) was performed for comparison of the different reduction efficiencies. Both ultrafiltration units showed increased reduction efficiencies for facultative pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes of up to 6 log units, resulting mostly in a strong reduction of the bacterial targets. In comparison, the ozone treatment showed some reduction efficiency, but was less effective compared with ultrafiltration due to low ozone dosages frequently used for micro-pollutant removal at municipal wastewater treatment plants. Additionally, metagenome analyses demonstrated the accumulation of facultative pathogenic bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factor genes, and metabolic gene targets in the back flush retentate of the membranes, which opens further questions about retentate fluid material handling at urban wastewater treatment plants.
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12
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Krawczyk PS, Lipinski L, Dziembowski A. PlasFlow: predicting plasmid sequences in metagenomic data using genome signatures. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:e35. [PMID: 29346586 PMCID: PMC5887522 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx1321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 286] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are mobile genetics elements that play an important role in the environmental adaptation of microorganisms. Although plasmids are usually analyzed in cultured microorganisms, there is a need for methods that allow for the analysis of pools of plasmids (plasmidomes) in environmental samples. To that end, several molecular biology and bioinformatics methods have been developed; however, they are limited to environments with low diversity and cannot recover large plasmids. Here, we present PlasFlow, a novel tool based on genomic signatures that employs a neural network approach for identification of bacterial plasmid sequences in environmental samples. PlasFlow can recover plasmid sequences from assembled metagenomes without any prior knowledge of the taxonomical or functional composition of samples with an accuracy up to 96%. It can also recover sequences of both circular and linear plasmids and can perform initial taxonomical classification of sequences. Compared to other currently available tools, PlasFlow demonstrated significantly better performance on test datasets. Analysis of two samples from heavy metal-contaminated microbial mats revealed that plasmids may constitute an important fraction of their metagenomes and carry genes involved in heavy-metal homeostasis, proving the pivotal role of plasmids in microorganism adaptation to environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel S Krawczyk
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.,Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Leszek Lipinski
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Dziembowski
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.,Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
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13
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Petrovich M, Chu B, Wright D, Griffin J, Elfeki M, Murphy BT, Poretsky R, Wells G. Antibiotic resistance genes show enhanced mobilization through suspended growth and biofilm-based wastewater treatment processes. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019. [PMID: 29534199 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are known to harbor antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) that are disseminated into the environment via effluent. However, few studies have compared abundance, mobilization and selective pressures for ARGs in WWTPs as a function of variations in secondary treatment bioprocesses. We used shotgun metagenomics to provide a comprehensive analysis of ARG composition, relationship to mobile genetic elements and co-occurrences with antibiotic production genes (APGs) throughout two full-scale municipal WWTPs, one of which employs biofilm-based secondary treatment and another that uses a suspended growth system. Results showed that abundances of ARGs declined by over 90% per genome equivalent in both types of wastewater treatment processes. However, the fractions of ARGs associated with mobile genetic elements increased substantially between influent and effluent in each plant, indicating significant mobilization of ARGs throughout both treatment processes. Strong positive correlations between ARGs and APGs were found for the aminoglycoside antibiotic class in the suspended growth system and for the streptogramin antibiotic class in the biofilm system. The biofilm and suspended growth WWTPs exhibited similarities in ARG abundances, composition and mobilization trends. However, clear differences were observed for within-plant ARG persistence. These findings suggest that both biofilm and suspended growth-based WWTPs may promote genetic mobilization of persistent ARGs that are then disseminated in effluent to receiving water bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Petrovich
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Binh Chu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Dorothy Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Jim Griffin
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Maryam Elfeki
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Brian T Murphy
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Rachel Poretsky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - George Wells
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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14
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Han Y, Wang J, Zhao Z, Chen J, Lu H, Liu G. Combined impact of fishmeal and tetracycline on resistomes in mariculture sediment. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 242:1711-1719. [PMID: 30077403 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.07.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Mariculture sediment has been recognized as a major contributor of environmental antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which are challenging the treatment of infections worldwide. Both antibiotics and fishmeal are used in aquaculture, and each has the potential to facilitate ARG dissemination, however their combined impact on the sediment resistome and their relative contribution remain unclear. In this study, microcosms were exposed to varying concentrations of tetracycline with or without fishmeal (0.1% wt/wt) for 14 days. Sediment genomic DNA was analyzed using high throughput quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to compare the contribution of fishmeal and tetracycline to antibiotic resistomes and bacterial communities in mariculture sediment. Sixty-seven ARGs were detected potentially correlating to resistance for several major antibiotics. Fishmeal, but not the dose of tetracycline, contributed to the significant increase of both ARG abundance and diversity in the sediment. Based on principle coordinate analysis and hierarchical clustering, ARGs were clustered into two groups depending on whether fishmeal was added. Aminoglycoside, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin b (MLSb) and tetracycline resistance genes were the most abundant when fishmeal was used, while a significant increase in mobile genetic element (MGE) abundance was also detected (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, bacterial community structures were detected with distinct patterns between the two groups (Adonis, P < 0.05). Using the Mantel test and partial least squares path modeling, we identified that sediment resistomes were significantly correlated with microbial community structures (P < 0.05) which were mainly driven by nutrients in fishmeal. Together our findings suggested that fishmeal plays a more important role than tetracycline in proliferation of ARGs in mariculture sediment. This study may provide new insights into the mitigation of ARG propagation in mariculture operations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Han
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China.
| | - Zelong Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
| | - Jingwen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
| | - Hong Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
| | - Guangfei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
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15
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Lerminiaux NA, Cameron ADS. Horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in clinical environments. Can J Microbiol 2018; 65:34-44. [PMID: 30248271 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2018-0275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 334] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
A global medical crisis is unfolding as antibiotics lose effectiveness against a growing number of bacterial pathogens. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) contributes significantly to the rapid spread of resistance, yet the transmission dynamics of genes that confer antibiotic resistance are poorly understood. Multiple mechanisms of HGT liberate genes from normal vertical inheritance. Conjugation by plasmids, transduction by bacteriophages, and natural transformation by extracellular DNA each allow genetic material to jump between strains and species. Thus, HGT adds an important dimension to infectious disease whereby an antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) can be the agent of an outbreak by transferring resistance to multiple unrelated pathogens. Here, we review the small number of cases where HGT has been detected in clinical environments. We discuss differences and synergies between the spread of plasmid-borne and chromosomal ARGs, with a special consideration of the difficulties of detecting transduction and transformation by routine genetic diagnostics. We highlight how 11 of the top 12 priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens are known or predicted to be naturally transformable, raising the possibility that this mechanism of HGT makes significant contributions to the spread of ARGs. HGT drives the evolution of untreatable "superbugs" by concentrating ARGs together in the same cell, thus HGT must be included in strategies to prevent the emergence of resistant organisms in hospitals and other clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew D S Cameron
- a Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada.,b Institute for Microbial Systems and Society, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
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16
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Characteristics of ARG-carrying plasmidome in the cultivable microbial community from wastewater treatment system under high oxytetracycline concentration. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:1847-1858. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8738-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Zhao Z, Wang J, Han Y, Chen J, Liu G, Lu H, Yan B, Chen S. Nutrients, heavy metals and microbial communities co-driven distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in adjacent environment of mariculture. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2017; 220:909-918. [PMID: 27814984 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.10.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Revised: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
With the rapid development of aquaculture, the large amounts of pollutants were discharged into the aquatic environment, where the detected antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have drawn increasing attention due to their potential threats to ecological environment and human health. Thus, the impact of mariculture on ARGs was assessed and the underlying mechanism of their propagation was explained. Sediments from eight sampling sites were collected along a mariculture drainage ditch, and the sediment in Yellow River Delta National Park was used as a non-mariculture control. Microbial ARGs qPCR array and illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene were applied to examine the changing patterns of ARGs and bacterial communities. Results showed that 18 ARGs (3 fluoroquinolone, 1 aminoglycoside, 3 macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B, 2 tetracycline, and 9 beta-lactam resistance genes) were influenced by mariculture, and ARGs abundance and diversity were significantly increased in mariculture sediments (p < 0.05). A remarkable shift in bacterial community structure and composition was also observed. The abundance of most of ARGs were significantly decreased in the estuary samples, implying that seawater had a significant dilution effect on the ARGs emission from the mariculture sites. Partial redundancy analysis showed that nutrients, heavy metals, and bacteria communities might directly and indirectly contribute to ARGs propagation, suggesting that the profile and dissemination of ARGs were driven by the combined effects of multiple factors in mariculture-impacted sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zelong Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
| | - Ying Han
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Jingwen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Guangfei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Hong Lu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Bin Yan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen 361024, China
| | - Shiaoshing Chen
- Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan, ROC
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18
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The Composition and Spatial Patterns of Bacterial Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in 19 Wastewater Treatment Plants. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167422. [PMID: 27907117 PMCID: PMC5132249 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance are of concern for environmental safety and public health. Accumulating evidence suggests that wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are as an important sink and source of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Virulence genes (encoding virulence factors) are good indicators for bacterial pathogenic potentials. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of bacterial pathogenic potentials and antibiotic resistance in WWTPs, bacterial virulence genes and ARGs in 19 WWTPs covering a majority of latitudinal zones of China were surveyed by using GeoChip 4.2. A total of 1610 genes covering 13 virulence factors and 1903 genes belonging to 11 ARG families were detected respectively. The bacterial virulence genes exhibited significant spatial distribution patterns of a latitudinal biodiversity gradient and a distance-decay relationship across China. Moreover, virulence genes tended to coexist with ARGs as shown by their strongly positive associations. In addition, key environmental factors shaping the overall virulence gene structure were identified. This study profiles the occurrence, composition and distribution of virulence genes and ARGs in current WWTPs in China, and uncovers spatial patterns and important environmental variables shaping their structure, which may provide the basis for further studies of bacterial virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in WWTPs.
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19
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Hladilek MD, Gaines KF, Novak JM, Collard DA, Johnson DB, Canam T. Microbial community structure of a freshwater system receiving wastewater effluent. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2016; 188:626. [PMID: 27761851 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-016-5630-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite our dependency on treatment facilities to condition wastewater for eventual release to the environment, our knowledge regarding the effects of treated water on the local watershed is extremely limited. Responses of lotic systems to the treated wastewater effluent have been traditionally investigated by examining the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages and community structure; however, these studies do not address the microbial diversity of the water systems. In the present study, planktonic and benthic bacterial community structure were examined at 14 sites (from 60 m upstream to 12,100 m downstream) and at two time points along an aquatic system receiving treated effluent from the Charleston Wastewater Treatment Plant (Charleston, IL). Total bacterial DNA was isolated and 16S rRNA sequences were analyzed using a metagenomics platform. The community structure in planktonic bacterial communities was significantly correlated with dissolved oxygen concentration. Benthic bacterial communities were not correlated with water quality but did have a significant geographic structuring. A local restructuring effect was observed in both planktonic and benthic communities near the treated wastewater effluent, which was characterized by an increase in abundance of sphingobacteria. Sites further downstream from the wastewater facility appeared to be less influenced by the effluent. Overall, the present study demonstrated the utility of targeted high-throughput sequencing as a tool to assess the effects of treated wastewater effluent on a receiving water system, and highlighted the potential for this technology to be used for routine monitoring by wastewater facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Hladilek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, USA
| | - Karen F Gaines
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, USA
| | - James M Novak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, USA
| | - David A Collard
- Public Works Department, Wastewater Treatment, Charleston, IL, USA
| | - Daniel B Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, USA
- OneWater Incorporated, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Thomas Canam
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, USA.
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20
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Ma Y, Metch JW, Yang Y, Pruden A, Zhang T. Shift in antibiotic resistance gene profiles associated with nanosilver during wastewater treatment. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2016; 92:fiw022. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiw022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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21
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Li AD, Li LG, Zhang T. Exploring antibiotic resistance genes and metal resistance genes in plasmid metagenomes from wastewater treatment plants. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1025. [PMID: 26441947 PMCID: PMC4585309 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids operate as independent genetic elements in microorganism communities. Through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), they can provide their host microorganisms with important functions such as antibiotic resistance and heavy metal resistance. In this study, six metagenomic libraries were constructed with plasmid DNA extracted from influent, activated sludge (AS) and digested sludge (DS) of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Compared with the metagenomes of the total DNA extracted from the same sectors of the wastewater treatment plant, the plasmid metagenomes had significantly higher annotation rates, indicating that the functional genes on plasmids are commonly shared by those studied microorganisms. Meanwhile, the plasmid metagenomes also encoded many more genes related to defense mechanisms, including ARGs. Searching against an antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) database and a metal resistance genes (MRGs) database revealed a broad-spectrum of antibiotic (323 out of a total 618 subtypes) and MRGs (23 out of a total 23 types) on these plasmid metagenomes. The influent plasmid metagenomes contained many more resistance genes (both ARGs and MRGs) than the AS and the DS metagenomes. Sixteen novel plasmids with a complete circular structure that carried these resistance genes were assembled from the plasmid metagenomes. The results of this study demonstrated that the plasmids in WWTPs could be important reservoirs for resistance genes, and may play a significant role in the horizontal transfer of these genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- An-Dong Li
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Li-Guan Li
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Tong Zhang
- Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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22
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Microbial community in a hydrogenotrophic denitrification reactor based on pyrosequencing. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2015; 99:10829-37. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-015-6929-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Revised: 08/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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23
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Wong DHJ, Beiko RG. Transfer of energy pathway genes in microbial enhanced biological phosphorus removal communities. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:526. [PMID: 26173980 PMCID: PMC4502571 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1752-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is an important evolutionary process in microbial evolution. In sewage treatment plants, LGT of antibiotic resistance and xenobiotic degradation-related proteins has been suggested, but the role of LGT outside these processes is unknown. Microbial communities involved in Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) have been used to treat wastewater in the last 50 years and may provide insights into adaptation to an engineered environment. We introduce two different types of analysis to identify LGT in EBPR sewage communities, based on identifying assembled sequences with more than one strong taxonomic match, and on unusual phylogenetic patterns. We applied these methods to investigate the role of LGT in six energy-related metabolic pathways. RESULTS The analyses identified overlapping but non-identical sets of transferred enzymes. All of these were homologous with sequences from known mobile genetic elements, and many were also in close proximity to transposases and integrases in the EBPR data set. The taxonomic method had higher sensitivity than the phylogenetic method, identifying more potential LGTs. Both analyses identified the putative transfer of five enzymes within an Australian community, two in a Danish community, and none in a US-derived culture. CONCLUSIONS Our methods were able to identify sequences with unusual phylogenetic or compositional properties as candidate LGT events. The association of these candidates with known mobile elements supports the hypothesis of transfer. The results of our analysis strongly suggest that LGT has influenced the development of functionally important energy-related pathways in EBPR systems, but transfers may be unique to each community due to different operating conditions or taxonomic composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis H-J Wong
- Faculty of Graduate Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
| | - Robert G Beiko
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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24
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Dib JR, Wagenknecht M, Farías ME, Meinhardt F. Strategies and approaches in plasmidome studies-uncovering plasmid diversity disregarding of linear elements? Front Microbiol 2015; 6:463. [PMID: 26074886 PMCID: PMC4443254 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The term plasmid was originally coined for circular, extrachromosomal genetic elements. Today, plasmids are widely recognized not only as important factors facilitating genome restructuring but also as vehicles for the dissemination of beneficial characters within bacterial communities. Plasmid diversity has been uncovered by means of culture-dependent or -independent approaches, such as endogenous or exogenous plasmid isolation as well as PCR-based detection or transposon-aided capture, respectively. High-throughput-sequencing made possible to cover total plasmid populations in a given environment, i.e., the plasmidome, and allowed to address the quality and significance of self-replicating genetic elements. Since such efforts were and still are rather restricted to circular molecules, here we put equal emphasis on the linear plasmids which—despite their frequent occurrence in a large number of bacteria—are largely neglected in prevalent plasmidome conceptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julián R Dib
- Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas , Tucumán, Argentina ; Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster , Münster, Germany ; Instituto de Microbiología, Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán , Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Martin Wagenknecht
- Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster , Münster, Germany ; Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster , Münster, Germany
| | - María E Farías
- Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas , Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Friedhelm Meinhardt
- Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster , Münster, Germany
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25
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Stöveken J, Singh R, Kolkenbrock S, Zakrzewski M, Wibberg D, Eikmeyer F, Pühler A, Schlüter A, Moerschbacher B. Successful heterologous expression of a novel chitinase identified by sequence analyses of the metagenome from a chitin-enriched soil sample. J Biotechnol 2015; 201:60-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2014.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Revised: 08/29/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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26
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Antibiotic Resistance Elements in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Scope and Potential Impacts. THE HANDBOOK OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/698_2015_361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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27
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Bengtsson-Palme J, Boulund F, Fick J, Kristiansson E, Larsson DGJ. Shotgun metagenomics reveals a wide array of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile elements in a polluted lake in India. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:648. [PMID: 25520706 PMCID: PMC4251439 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence for an environmental origin of many antibiotic resistance genes. Consequently, it is important to identify environments of particular risk for selecting and maintaining such resistance factors. In this study, we described the diversity of antibiotic resistance genes in an Indian lake subjected to industrial pollution with fluoroquinolone antibiotics. We also assessed the genetic context of the identified resistance genes, to try to predict their genetic transferability. The lake harbored a wide range of resistance genes (81 identified gene types) against essentially every major class of antibiotics, as well as genes responsible for mobilization of genetic material. Resistance genes were estimated to be 7000 times more abundant than in a Swedish lake included for comparison, where only eight resistance genes were found. The sul2 and qnrD genes were the most common resistance genes in the Indian lake. Twenty-six known and 21 putative novel plasmids were recovered in the Indian lake metagenome, which, together with the genes found, indicate a large potential for horizontal gene transfer through conjugation. Interestingly, the microbial community of the lake still included a wide range of taxa, suggesting that, across most phyla, bacteria has adapted relatively well to this highly polluted environment. Based on the wide range and high abundance of known resistance factors we have detected, it is plausible that yet unrecognized resistance genes are also present in the lake. Thus, we conclude that environments polluted with waste from antibiotic manufacturing could be important reservoirs for mobile antibiotic resistance genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Bengtsson-Palme
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Boulund
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jerker Fick
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden
| | - Erik Kristiansson
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - D G Joakim Larsson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden
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Plasmid-encoded tetracycline efflux pump protein alters bacterial stress responses and ecological fitness of Acinetobacter oleivorans. PLoS One 2014; 9:e107716. [PMID: 25229538 PMCID: PMC4167995 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquisition of the extracellular tetracycline (TC) resistance plasmid pAST2 affected host gene expression and phenotype in the oil-degrading soil bacterium, Acinetobacter oleivorans DR1. Whole-transcriptome profiling of DR1 cells harboring pAST2 revealed that all the plasmid genes were highly expressed under TC conditions, and the expression levels of many host chromosomal genes were modulated by the presence of pAST2. The host energy burden imposed by replication of pAST2 led to (i) lowered ATP concentrations, (ii) downregulated expression of many genes involved in cellular growth, and (iii) reduced growth rate. Interestingly, some phenotypes were restored by deleting the plasmid-encoded efflux pump gene tetH, suggesting that the membrane integrity changes resulting from the incorporation of efflux pump proteins also resulted in altered host response under the tested conditions. Alteration of membrane integrity by tetH deletion was shown by measuring permeability of fluorescent probe and membrane hydrophobicity. The presence of the plasmid conferred peroxide and superoxide resistance to cells, but only peroxide resistance was diminished by tetH gene deletion, suggesting that the plasmid-encoded membrane-bound efflux pump protein provided peroxide resistance. The downregulation of fimbriae-related genes presumably led to reduced swimming motility, but this phenotype was recovered by tetH gene deletion. Our data suggest that not only the plasmid replication burden, but also its encoded efflux pump protein altered host chromosomal gene expression and phenotype, which also alters the ecological fitness of the host in the environment.
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29
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Pyrosequencing reveals the inhibitory impact of chronic exposure to erythromycin on activated sludge bacterial community structure. Biochem Eng J 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2014.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Characterization of wastewater treatment plant microbial communities and the effects of carbon sources on diversity in laboratory models. PLoS One 2014; 9:e105689. [PMID: 25148472 PMCID: PMC4141834 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We are developing a laboratory-scale model to improve our understanding and capacity to assess the biological risks of genetically engineered bacteria and their genetic elements in the natural environment. Our hypothetical scenario concerns an industrial bioreactor failure resulting in the introduction of genetically engineered bacteria to a downstream municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP). As the first step towards developing a model for this scenario, we sampled microbial communities from the aeration basin of a MWWTP at three seasonal time points. Having established a baseline for community composition, we investigated how the community changed when propagated in the laboratory, including cell culture media conditions that could provide selective pressure in future studies. Specifically, using PhyloChip 16S-rRNA-gene targeting microarrays, we compared the compositions of sampled communities to those of inocula propagated in the laboratory in simulated wastewater conditionally amended with various carbon sources (glucose, chloroacetate, D-threonine) or the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C2mim]Cl). Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were predominant in both aeration basin and laboratory-cultured communities. Laboratory-cultured communities were enriched in γ-Proteobacteria. Enterobacteriaceae, and Aeromonadaceae were enriched by glucose, Pseudomonadaceae by chloroacetate and D-threonine, and Burkholderiacea by high (50 mM) concentrations of chloroacetate. Microbial communities cultured with chloroacetate and D-threonine were more similar to sampled field communities than those cultured with glucose or [C2mim]Cl. Although observed relative richness in operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was lower for laboratory cultures than for field communities, both flask and reactor systems supported phylogenetically diverse communities. These results importantly provide a foundation for laboratory models of industrial bioreactor failure scenarios.
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31
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Norman A, Riber L, Luo W, Li LL, Hansen LH, Sørensen SJ. An improved method for including upper size range plasmids in metamobilomes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104405. [PMID: 25116381 PMCID: PMC4130580 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Two recently developed isolation methods have shown promise when recovering pure community plasmid DNA (metamobilomes/plasmidomes), which is useful in conducting culture-independent investigations into plasmid ecology. However, both methods employ multiple displacement amplification (MDA) to ensure suitable quantities of plasmid DNA for high-throughput sequencing. This study demonstrates that MDA greatly favors smaller circular DNA elements (<10 Kbp), which, in turn, leads to stark underrepresentation of upper size range plasmids (>10 Kbp). Throughout the study, we used two model plasmids, a 4.4 Kbp cloning vector (pBR322), and a 56 Kbp conjugative plasmid (pKJK10), to represent lower- and upper plasmid size ranges, respectively. Subjecting a mixture of these plasmids to the overall isolation protocol revealed a 34-fold over-amplification of pBR322 after MDA. To address this bias, we propose the addition of an electroelution step that separates different plasmid size ranges prior to MDA in order to reduce size-dependent competition during incubation. Subsequent analyses of metamobilome data from wastewater spiked with the model plasmids showed in silica recovery of pKJK10 to be very poor with the established method and a 1,300-fold overrepresentation of pBR322. Conversely, complete recovery of pKJK10 was enabled with the new modified protocol although considerable care must be taken during electroelution to minimize cross-contamination between samples. For further validation, non-spiked wastewater metamobilomes were mapped to more than 2,500 known plasmid genomes. This displayed an overall recovery of plasmids well into the upper size range (median size: 30 kilobases) with the modified protocol. Analysis of de novo assembled metamobilome data also suggested distinctly better recovery of larger plasmids, as gene functions associated with these plasmids, such as conjugation, was exclusively encoded in the data output generated through the modified protocol. Thus, with the suggested modification, access to a large uncharacterized pool of accessory elements that reside on medium-to-large plasmids has been improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Norman
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Leise Riber
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Wenting Luo
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Li Li Li
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Hestbjerg Hansen
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - Søren Johannes Sørensen
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Kor-Bicakci G, Pala-Ozkok I, Rehman A, Jonas D, Ubay-Cokgor E, Orhon D. Chronic impact of sulfamethoxazole on acetate utilization kinetics and population dynamics of fast growing microbial culture. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2014; 166:219-228. [PMID: 24908607 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2014] [Revised: 05/05/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The study evaluated the chronic impact of sulfamethoxazole on metabolic activities of fast growing microbial culture. It focused on changes induced on utilization kinetics of acetate and composition of the microbial community. The experiments involved a fill and draw reactor, fed with acetate and continuous sulfamethoxazole dosing of 50 mg/L. The evaluation relied on model evaluation of the oxygen uptake rate profiles, with parallel assessment of microbial community structure by 454-pyrosequencing. Continuous sulfamethoxazole dosing inflicted a retardation effect on acetate utilization in a way commonly interpreted as competitive inhibition, blocked substrate storage and accelerated endogenous respiration. A fraction of acetate was utilized at a much lower rate with partial biodegradation of sulfamethoxazole. Results of pyrosequencing with a replacement mechanism within a richer more diversified microbial culture, through inactivation of vulnerable fractions in favor of species resistant to antibiotic, which made them capable of surviving and competing even with a slower metabolic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Kor-Bicakci
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Environmental Engineering, 34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - I Pala-Ozkok
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Environmental Engineering, 34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - A Rehman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University Medical Center Freiburg, Breisacher Strasse 115B, D-79106 Freiburg i.Br, Germany
| | - D Jonas
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University Medical Center Freiburg, Breisacher Strasse 115B, D-79106 Freiburg i.Br, Germany
| | - E Ubay-Cokgor
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Environmental Engineering, 34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - D Orhon
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Environmental Engineering, 34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey; ENVIS Energy and Environmental Systems Ltd., ITU Arı Teknokent, Arı 1 Binası, 16, 34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey
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33
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Tseng CH, Tang SL. Marine microbial metagenomics: from individual to the environment. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:8878-92. [PMID: 24857918 PMCID: PMC4057765 DOI: 10.3390/ijms15058878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbes are the most abundant biological entities on earth, therefore, studying them is important for understanding their roles in global ecology. The science of metagenomics is a relatively young field of research that has enjoyed significant effort since its inception in 1998. Studies using next-generation sequencing techniques on single genomes and collections of genomes have not only led to novel insights into microbial genomics, but also revealed a close association between environmental niches and genome evolution. Herein, we review studies investigating microbial genomics (largely in the marine ecosystem) at the individual and community levels to summarize our current understanding of microbial ecology in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Hung Tseng
- Bioinformatics Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.
| | - Sen-Lin Tang
- Bioinformatics Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.
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Hong H, Ko HJ, Choi IG, Park W. Previously undescribed plasmids recovered from activated sludge confer tetracycline resistance and phenotypic changes to Acinetobacter oleivorans DR1. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2014; 67:369-379. [PMID: 24337108 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-013-0343-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We used culture-dependent and culture-independent methods to extract previously undescribed plasmids harboring tetracycline (TC) resistance genes from activated sludge. The extracted plasmids were transformed into naturally competent Acinetobacter oleivorans DR1 to recover a non-Escherichia coli-based plasmid. The transformed cells showed 80-100-fold higher TC resistance than the wild-type strain. Restriction length polymorphism performed using 30 transformed cells showed four different types of plasmids. Illumina-based whole sequencing of the four plasmids identified three previously unreported plasmids and one previously reported plasmid. All plasmids carried TC resistance-related genes (tetL, tetH), tetracycline transcriptional regulators (tetR), and mobilization-related genes. As per expression analysis, TC resistance genes were functional in the presence of TC. The recovered plasmids showed mosaic gene acquisition through horizontal gene transfer. Membrane fluidity, hydrophobicity, biofilm formation, motility, growth rate, sensitivity to stresses, and quorum sensing signals of the transformed cells were different from those of the wild-type cells. Plasmid-bearing cells seemed to have an energy burden for maintaining and expressing plasmid genes. Our data showed that acquisition of TC resistance through plasmid uptake is related to loss of biological fitness. Thus, cells acquiring antibiotic resistance plasmids can survive in the presence of antibiotics, but must pay ecological costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyerim Hong
- Department of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong 5Ga, Seungbuk-Ku, Seoul, 136-713, Republic of Korea
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35
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Manageiro V, Ferreira E, Caniça M, Manaia CM. GES-5 among theβ-lactamases detected in ubiquitous bacteria isolated from aquatic environment samples. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2013; 351:64-69. [DOI: 10.1111/1574-6968.12340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Vera Manageiro
- National Reference Laboratory of Antimicrobial Resistances; National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge; Lisbon Portugal
- Centre for the Study of Animal Sciences (CECA/ICETA); University of Oporto; Oporto Portugal
| | - Eugénia Ferreira
- National Reference Laboratory of Antimicrobial Resistances; National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge; Lisbon Portugal
| | - Manuela Caniça
- National Reference Laboratory of Antimicrobial Resistances; National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge; Lisbon Portugal
| | - Célia M. Manaia
- CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado; Escola Superior de Biotecnologia; Universidade Católica Portuguesa/Porto; Porto Portugal
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36
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Varela AR, Manaia CM. Human health implications of clinically relevant bacteria in wastewater habitats. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2013; 20:3550-3569. [PMID: 23508533 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-013-1594-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2012] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this review is to reflect on the multiple roles of bacteria in wastewater habitats with particular emphasis on their harmful potential for human health. Indigenous bacteria promote a series of biochemical and metabolic transformations indispensable to achieve wastewater treatment. Some of these bacteria may be pathogenic or harbour antibiotic resistance or virulence genes harmful for human health. Several chemical contaminants (heavy metals, disinfectants and antibiotics) may select these bacteria or their genes. Worldwide studies show that treated wastewater contain antibiotic resistant bacteria or genes encoding virulence or antimicrobial resistance, evidencing that treatment processes may fail to remove efficiently these bio-pollutants. The contamination of the surrounding environment, such as rivers or lakes receiving such effluents, is also documented in several studies. The current state of the art suggests that only some of antibiotic resistance and virulence potential in wastewater is known. Moreover, wastewater habitats may favour the evolution and dissemination of new resistance and virulence genes and the emergence of new pathogens. For these reasons, additional research is needed in order to obtain a more detailed assessment of the long-term effects of wastewater discharges. In particular, it is important to measure the human and environmental health risks associated with wastewater reuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rita Varela
- CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa/Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal
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37
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Yang J, Wang C, Shu C, Liu L, Geng J, Hu S, Feng J. Marine sediment bacteria harbor antibiotic resistance genes highly similar to those found in human pathogens. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2013; 65:975-81. [PMID: 23370726 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-013-0187-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/14/2013] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The ocean is a natural habitat for antibiotic-producing bacteria, and marine aquaculture introduces antibiotics into the ocean to treat infections and improve aquaculture production. Studies have shown that the ocean is an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes. However, there is a lack of understanding and knowledge about the clinical importance of the ocean resistome. We investigated the relationship between the ocean bacterial resistome and pathogenic resistome. We applied high-throughput sequencing and metagenomic analyses to explore the resistance genes in bacterial plasmids from marine sediments. Numerous putative resistance determinants were detected among the resistance genes in the sediment bacteria. We also found that several contigs shared high identity with transposons or plasmids from human pathogens, indicating that the sediment bacteria recently contributed or acquired resistance genes from pathogens. Marine sediment bacteria could play an important role in the global exchange of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1 West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
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Rizzo L, Manaia C, Merlin C, Schwartz T, Dagot C, Ploy MC, Michael I, Fatta-Kassinos D. Urban wastewater treatment plants as hotspots for antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes spread into the environment: a review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2013; 447:345-60. [PMID: 23396083 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1247] [Impact Index Per Article: 113.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2012] [Revised: 01/08/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs) are among the main sources of antibiotics' release into the environment. The occurrence of antibiotics may promote the selection of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), which shade health risks to humans and animals. In this paper the fate of ARB and ARGs in UWTPs, focusing on different processes/technologies (i.e., biological processes, advanced treatment technologies and disinfection), was critically reviewed. The mechanisms by which biological processes influence the development/selection of ARB and ARGs transfer are still poorly understood. Advanced treatment technologies and disinfection process are regarded as a major tool to control the spread of ARB into the environment. In spite of intense efforts made over the last years to bring solutions to control antibiotic resistance spread in the environment, there are still important gaps to fill in. In particular, it is important to: (i) improve risk assessment studies in order to allow accurate estimates about the maximal abundance of ARB in UWTPs effluents that would not pose risks for human and environmental health; (ii) understand the factors and mechanisms that drive antibiotic resistance maintenance and selection in wastewater habitats. The final objective is to implement wastewater treatment technologies capable of assuring the production of UWTPs effluents with an acceptable level of ARB.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Rizzo
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084, Fisciano (SA), Italy.
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Sentchilo V, Mayer AP, Guy L, Miyazaki R, Green Tringe S, Barry K, Malfatti S, Goessmann A, Robinson-Rechavi M, van der Meer JR. Community-wide plasmid gene mobilization and selection. ISME JOURNAL 2013; 7:1173-86. [PMID: 23407308 PMCID: PMC3660673 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2013.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Plasmids have long been recognized as an important driver of DNA exchange and genetic innovation in prokaryotes. The success of plasmids has been attributed to their independent replication from the host's chromosome and their frequent self-transfer. It is thought that plasmids accumulate, rearrange and distribute nonessential genes, which may provide an advantage for host proliferation under selective conditions. In order to test this hypothesis independently of biases from culture selection, we study the plasmid metagenome from microbial communities in two activated sludge systems, one of which receives mostly household and the other chemical industry wastewater. We find that plasmids from activated sludge microbial communities carry among the largest proportion of unknown gene pools so far detected in metagenomic DNA, confirming their presumed role of DNA innovators. At a system level both plasmid metagenomes were dominated by functions associated with replication and transposition, and contained a wide variety of antibiotic and heavy metal resistances. Plasmid families were very different in the two metagenomes and grouped in deep-branching new families compared with known plasmid replicons. A number of abundant plasmid replicons could be completely assembled directly from the metagenome, providing insight in plasmid composition without culturing bias. Functionally, the two metagenomes strongly differed in several ways, including a greater abundance of genes for carbohydrate metabolism in the industrial and of general defense factors in the household activated sludge plasmid metagenome. This suggests that plasmids not only contribute to the adaptation of single individual prokaryotic species, but of the prokaryotic community as a whole under local selective conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Sentchilo
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Biophore, Quartier UNIL-Sorge, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Pala-Ozkok I, Rehman A, Yagci N, Ubay-Cokgor E, Jonas D, Orhon D. Characteristics of mixed microbial culture at different sludge ages: effect on variable kinetics for substrate utilization. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2012; 126:274-282. [PMID: 23079414 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.08.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2012] [Revised: 08/22/2012] [Accepted: 08/23/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The study focused on variable kinetics for substrate utilization, primarily addressing the following issue: Is variable process kinetics observed under different operating conditions and culture history (sludge ages), the result of changes inflicted on the metabolic machinery of the same microbial culture? Or, is this the result of a different microbial population selected under different operating conditions? For this purpose, the study mainly emphasized to assess the microbial population composition sustained at different sludge ages. It explored the relationship between observed process kinetics and microbial population structure using respirometric modeling and high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. Experimental results indicated a significant change in the composition of the microbial community fed with the same organic substrate, when the culture history was changed, lower sludge age selecting a different and faster growing microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilke Pala-Ozkok
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Environmental Engineering, 34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey.
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41
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Port JA, Wallace JC, Griffith WC, Faustman EM. Metagenomic profiling of microbial composition and antibiotic resistance determinants in Puget Sound. PLoS One 2012; 7:e48000. [PMID: 23144718 PMCID: PMC3483302 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2012] [Accepted: 09/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-health relevant impacts on marine ecosystems are increasing on both spatial and temporal scales. Traditional indicators for environmental health monitoring and microbial risk assessment have relied primarily on single species analyses and have provided only limited spatial and temporal information. More high-throughput, broad-scale approaches to evaluate these impacts are therefore needed to provide a platform for informing public health. This study uses shotgun metagenomics to survey the taxonomic composition and antibiotic resistance determinant content of surface water bacterial communities in the Puget Sound estuary. Metagenomic DNA was collected at six sites in Puget Sound in addition to one wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) that discharges into the Sound and pyrosequenced. A total of ∼550 Mbp (1.4 million reads) were obtained, 22 Mbp of which could be assembled into contigs. While the taxonomic and resistance determinant profiles across the open Sound samples were similar, unique signatures were identified when comparing these profiles across the open Sound, a nearshore marina and WWTP effluent. The open Sound was dominated by α-Proteobacteria (in particular Rhodobacterales sp.), γ-Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes while the marina and effluent had increased abundances of Actinobacteria, β-Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. There was a significant increase in the antibiotic resistance gene signal from the open Sound to marina to WWTP effluent, suggestive of a potential link to human impacts. Mobile genetic elements associated with environmental and pathogenic bacteria were also differentially abundant across the samples. This study is the first comparative metagenomic survey of Puget Sound and provides baseline data for further assessments of community composition and antibiotic resistance determinants in the environment using next generation sequencing technologies. In addition, these genomic signals of potential human impact can be used to guide initial public health monitoring as well as more targeted and functionally-based investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse A. Port
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - James C. Wallace
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - William C. Griffith
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Elaine M. Faustman
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Maphosa F, Lieten SH, Dinkla I, Stams AJ, Smidt H, Fennell DE. Ecogenomics of microbial communities in bioremediation of chlorinated contaminated sites. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:351. [PMID: 23060869 PMCID: PMC3462421 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2012] [Accepted: 09/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Organohalide compounds such as chloroethenes, chloroethanes, and polychlorinated benzenes are among the most significant pollutants in the world. These compounds are often found in contamination plumes with other pollutants such as solvents, pesticides, and petroleum derivatives. Microbial bioremediation of contaminated sites, has become commonplace whereby key processes involved in bioremediation include anaerobic degradation and transformation of these organohalides by organohalide respiring bacteria and also via hydrolytic, oxygenic, and reductive mechanisms by aerobic bacteria. Microbial ecogenomics has enabled us to not only study the microbiology involved in these complex processes but also develop tools to better monitor and assess these sites during bioremediation. Microbial ecogenomics have capitalized on recent advances in high-throughput and -output genomics technologies in combination with microbial physiology studies to address these complex bioremediation problems at a system level. Advances in environmental metagenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics have provided insights into key genes and their regulation in the environment. They have also given us clues into microbial community structures, dynamics, and functions at contaminated sites. These techniques have not only aided us in understanding the lifestyles of common organohalide respirers, for example Dehalococcoides, Dehalobacter, and Desulfitobacterium, but also provided insights into novel and yet uncultured microorganisms found in organohalide respiring consortia. In this paper, we look at how ecogenomic studies have aided us to understand the microbial structures and functions in response to environmental stimuli such as the presence of chlorinated pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farai Maphosa
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Alfons J. Stams
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Hauke Smidt
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
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43
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Hu M, Wang X, Wen X, Xia Y. Microbial community structures in different wastewater treatment plants as revealed by 454-pyrosequencing analysis. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2012; 117:72-9. [PMID: 22609716 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2012] [Revised: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 04/18/2012] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In this study, 454-pyrosequencing technology was employed to investigate the microbial communities in 12 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWPTs) with different treatment processes. In total, 202,968 effective sequences of the 16S rRNA gene were generated from 16 samples that widely represented the diversity of the microbial communities. While Proteobacteria was found to be the dominant phylum in some samples, in other samples it was Bacteroidetes. The Simpson's diversity index and evenness index were lowest in samples from membrane bioreactors (MBRs), possibly due to the long sludge retention time (SRT) and low food/microorganism ratio (F/M). For one WWTP which had two disparate treatment processes operating in parallel, the structures of microbial communities in the two systems were compared. The differences found between the two indicated that the treatment process likely had effects on the structure of microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Hu
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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44
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Li L, Norman A, Hansen L, Sorensen S. Metamobilomics – expanding our knowledge on the pool of plasmid encoded traits in natural environments using high-throughput sequencing. Clin Microbiol Infect 2012; 18 Suppl 4:5-7. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03862.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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45
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Ul Haq I, Chaudhry WN, Andleeb S, Qadri I. Isolation and partial characterization of a virulent bacteriophage IHQ1 specific for Aeromonas punctata from stream water. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2012; 63:954-963. [PMID: 21947462 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-011-9944-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2011] [Accepted: 09/10/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Aeromonas punctata is the causative agent of septicemia, diarrhea, wound infections, meningitis, peritonitis, and infections of the joints, bones and eyes. Bacteriophages are often considered alternative agents for controlling bacterial infection and contamination. In this study, we described the isolation and preliminary characterization of bacteriophage IHQ1 (family Myoviridae) active against the Gram-negative bacterial strain A. punctata. This virulent bacteriophage was isolated from stream water sample. Genome analysis indicated that phage IHQ1 was a double-stranded DNA virus with an approximate genome size of 25-28 kb. The initial characterization of this newly isolated phage showed that it has a narrow host range and infects only A. punctata as it failed to infect seven other clinically isolated pathogenic strains, i.e., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 6403, MRSA 17644, Acinetobacter 33408, Acinetobacter 1172, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 22250, P. aeruginosa 11219, and Escherichia coli. Proteomic pattern of phage IHQ1, generated by SDS-PAGE using purified phage particles, showed three major and three minor protein bands with molecular weights ranging from 25 to 70 kDa. The adsorption rate of phage IHQ1 to the host bacterium was also determined, which was significantly enhanced by the addition of 10 mM CaCl(2). From the single-step growth experiment, it was inferred that the latent time period of phage IHQ1 was 24 min and a burst size of 626 phages per cell. Moreover, the pH and thermal stability of phage IHQ1 were also investigated. The maximum stability of the phage was observed at optimal pH 7.0, and it was totally unstable at extreme acidic pH 3; however, it was comparatively stable at alkaline pH 11.0. At 37°C the phage showed maximum number of plaques, and the viability was almost 100%. The existence of Aeromonas bacteriophage is very promising for the eradication of this opportunistic pathogen and also for future applications such as the design of new detection and phage typing (diagnosis) methods. The specificity of the bacteriophage for A. punctata makes it an attractive candidate for phage therapy of A. punctata infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irshad Ul Haq
- NUST Center of Virology & Immunology, National University of Sciences & Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
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46
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Silva CC, Hayden H, Sawbridge T, Mele P, Kruger RH, Rodrigues MVN, Costa GGL, Vidal RO, Sousa MP, Torres APR, Santiago VMJ, Oliveira VM. Phylogenetic and functional diversity of metagenomic libraries of phenol degrading sludge from petroleum refinery wastewater treatment system. AMB Express 2012; 2:18. [PMID: 22452812 PMCID: PMC3366876 DOI: 10.1186/2191-0855-2-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2012] [Accepted: 03/27/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In petrochemical refinery wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), different concentrations of pollutant compounds are received daily in the influent stream, including significant amounts of phenolic compounds, creating propitious conditions for the development of particular microorganisms that can rapidly adapt to such environment. In the present work, the microbial sludge from a refinery WWTP was enriched for phenol, cloned into fosmid vectors and pyrosequenced. The fosmid libraries yielded 13,200 clones and a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of the sequence data set revealed a complex and diverse bacterial community in the phenol degrading sludge. The phylogenetic analyses using MEGAN in combination with RDP classifier showed a massive predominance of Proteobacteria, represented mostly by the genera Diaphorobacter, Pseudomonas, Thauera and Comamonas. The functional classification of phenol degrading sludge sequence data set generated by MG-RAST showed the wide metabolic diversity of the microbial sludge, with a high percentage of genes involved in the aerobic and anaerobic degradation of phenol and derivatives. In addition, genes related to the metabolism of many other organic and xenobiotic compounds, such as toluene, biphenyl, naphthalene and benzoate, were found. Results gathered herein demonstrated that the phenol degrading sludge has complex phylogenetic and functional diversities, showing the potential of such community to degrade several pollutant compounds. This microbiota is likely to represent a rich resource of versatile and unknown enzymes which may be exploited for biotechnological processes such as bioremediation.
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Martínez JL. Bottlenecks in the transferability of antibiotic resistance from natural ecosystems to human bacterial pathogens. Front Microbiol 2012; 2:265. [PMID: 22319513 PMCID: PMC3249888 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2011] [Accepted: 12/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
It is generally accepted that resistance genes acquired by human pathogens through horizontal gene transfer originated in environmental, non-pathogenic bacteria. As a consequence, there is increasing concern on the roles that natural, non-clinical ecosystems, may play in the evolution of resistance. Recent studies have shown that the variability of determinants that can provide antibiotic resistance on their expression in a heterologous host is much larger than what is actually found in human pathogens, which implies the existence of bottlenecks modulating the transfer, spread, and stability of antibiotic resistance genes. In this review, the role that different factors such as founder effects, ecological connectivity, fitness costs, or second-order selection may have on the establishment of a specific resistance determinant in a population of bacterial pathogens is analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- José L Martínez
- Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas Madrid, Spain
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48
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Abstract
Bacteria have evolved unique mechanisms that allow them survive in the presence of strong selection pressures. Included in these mechanisms is the ability to share genetic determinants among and between species of bacteria thus spreading metal or antibiotic resistance traits quickly. The textile industry in response to demand has developed antimicrobial fabrics by the addition of bactericidal compounds during production. Some of these antimicrobials include metal nanoparticles, quaternary ammonia compounds, and broad spectrum compounds like triclosan. Bacteria have already expressed resistance to each of these bactericides. Here we discuss the evolutionary and ecological consequences of antimicrobial textiles in terms of co-selection. We predict that continued use of such materials could result in increased and widespread resistance to specific antimicrobials, especially metals, with an increased resistance to antibiotics. Such increases have the potential to find their way into other bacterial populations of human pathogens leading to serious and unintended public health consequences.
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Zhang T, Zhang XX, Ye L. Plasmid metagenome reveals high levels of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in activated sludge. PLoS One 2011; 6:e26041. [PMID: 22016806 PMCID: PMC3189950 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Accepted: 09/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The overuse or misuse of antibiotics has accelerated antibiotic resistance, creating a major challenge for the public health in the world. Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are considered as important reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and activated sludge characterized with high microbial density and diversity facilitates ARG horizontal gene transfer (HGT) via mobile genetic elements (MGEs). However, little is known regarding the pool of ARGs and MGEs in sludge microbiome. In this study, the transposon aided capture (TRACA) system was employed to isolate novel plasmids from activated sludge of one STP in Hong Kong, China. We also used Illumina Hiseq 2000 high-throughput sequencing and metagenomics analysis to investigate the plasmid metagenome. Two novel plasmids were acquired from the sludge microbiome by using TRACA system and one novel plasmid was identified through metagenomics analysis. Our results revealed high levels of various ARGs as well as MGEs for HGT, including integrons, transposons and plasmids. The application of the TRACA system to isolate novel plasmids from the environmental metagenome, coupled with subsequent high-throughput sequencing and metagenomic analysis, highlighted the prevalence of ARGs and MGEs in microbial community of STPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Zhang
- Environmental Biotechnology Lab, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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50
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Abstract
Antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is often due to the acquisition of resistance genes from a shared pool. In multiresistant isolates these genes, together with associated mobile elements, may be found in complex conglomerations on plasmids or on the chromosome. Analysis of available sequences reveals that these multiresistance regions (MRR) are modular, mosaic structures composed of different combinations of components from a limited set arranged in a limited number of ways. Components common to different MRR provide targets for homologous recombination, allowing these regions to evolve by combinatorial evolution, but our understanding of this process is far from complete. Advances in technology are leading to increasing amounts of sequence data, but currently available automated annotation methods usually focus on identifying ORFs and predicting protein function by homology. In MRR, where the genes are often well characterized, the challenge is to identify precisely which genes are present and to define the boundaries of complete and fragmented mobile elements. This review aims to summarize the types of mobile elements involved in multiresistance in Gram-negative bacteria and their associations with particular resistance genes, to describe common components of MRR and to illustrate methods for detailed analysis of these regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally R Partridge
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia.
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