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Liu L, Zou X, Cheng Y, Li H, Zhang X, Yuan Q. Contrasting Dynamics of Intracellular and Extracellular Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Response to Nutrient Variations in Aquatic Environments. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:817. [PMID: 39334992 PMCID: PMC11428281 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13090817] [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: 07/23/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The propagation of antibiotic resistance in environments, particularly aquatic environments that serve as primary pathways for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), poses significant health risks. The impact of nutrients, as key determinants of bacterial growth and metabolism, on the propagation of ARGs, particularly extracellular ARGs (eARGs), remains poorly understood. In this study, we collected microorganisms from the Yangtze River and established a series of microcosms to investigate how variations in nutrient levels and delivery frequency affect the relative abundance of intracellular ARGs (iARGs) and eARGs in bacterial communities. Our results show that the relative abundance of 7 out of 11 representative eARGs in water exceeds that of iARGs, while 8 iARGs dominate in biofilms. Notably, iARGs and eARGs consistently exhibited opposite responses to nutrient variation. When nutrient levels increased, iARGs in the water also increased, with the polluted group (COD = 333.3 mg/L, COD:N:P = 100:3:0.6, m/m) and the eutrophic group (COD = 100 mg/L, COD:N:P = 100:25:5, m/m) showing 1.2 and 3.2 times higher levels than the normal group (COD = 100 mg/L, COD:N:P = 100:10:2, m/m), respectively. In contrast, eARGs decreased by 6.7% and 8.4% in these groups. On the other hand, in biofilms, higher nutrient levels led to an increase in eARGs by 1.5 and 1.7 times, while iARGs decreased by 17.5% and 50.1% in the polluted and eutrophic groups compared to the normal group. Moreover, while increasing the frequency of nutrient delivery (from 1 time/10 d to 20 times/10 d) generally did not favor iARGs in either water or biofilm, it selectively enhanced eARGs in both. To further understand these dynamics, we developed an ARGs-nutrient model by integrating the Lotka-Volterra and Monod equations. The results highlight the complex interplay of bacterial growth, nutrient availability, and mechanisms such as horizontal gene transfer and secretion influencing ARGs' propagation, driving the opposite trend between these two forms of ARGs. This contrasting response between iARGs and eARGs contributes to a dynamic balance that stabilizes bacterial resistance levels amid nutrient fluctuations. This study offers helpful implications regarding the persistence of bacterial resistance in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lele Liu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
| | - Xinyi Zou
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
| | - Yuan Cheng
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
| | - Huihui Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
| | - Xueying Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
| | - Qingbin Yuan
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China; (L.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Zhou SYD, Yang K, Neilson R, Li H, Li HZ, Zhou YY, Liu J, Su JQ, Huang FY. Long-term seawall barriers lead to the formation of an urban coastal lagoon with increased antibiotic resistome. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:119721. [PMID: 38043315 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119721] [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: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization has increased the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) impacting urban aquatic ecosystems and threatening human health. However, an overview of the antibiotic resistome in artificial coastal lagoons formed by coastal seawall construction is unclear. This study investigated the resistome of sediment in a coastal lagoon, established for over 60 years and found that the composition of the resistome in the lagoon sediments associated with the seawall significantly differed from that of marine sediment external to the seawall. Moreover, the diversity, number, relative abundance, and absolute abundance of the antibiotic resistome in the lagoon sediments were significantly higher compared to marine sediment. Network analyses revealed that more co-occurrences were found in lagoon sediment between bacterial communities, ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) than in marine sediments, suggesting that bacteria in lagoon sediments may be associated with multiple antibiotic resistances. Random forest and structural equation models showed that an increase in the absolute abundance of MGEs had a concomitant effect on the absolute abundance and diversity of ARGs, whereas increasing salinity decreased the absolute abundance of ARGs. This study provides a basis to assess the risk of resistome diffusion and persistence in an artificial coastal lagoon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yi-Dan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 723Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510650, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 723Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510650, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Kai Yang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Roy Neilson
- Ecological Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, DD2 5DA, Scotland, UK
| | - Hu Li
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Hong-Zhe Li
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Yan-Yan Zhou
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Juxiu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 723Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510650, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 723Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Jian-Qiang Su
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Fu-Yi Huang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, 361021, China.
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An T, Cai Y, Li G, Li S, Wong PK, Guo J, Zhao H. Prevalence and transmission risk of colistin and multidrug resistance in long-distance coastal aquaculture. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:115. [PMID: 37935916 PMCID: PMC10630474 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00321-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Due to the wide use of antibiotics, intensive aquaculture farms have been recognized as a significant reservoir of antibiotic resistomes. Although the prevalence of colistin resistance genes and multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) has been documented, empirical evidence for the transmission of colistin and multidrug resistance between bacterial communities in aquaculture farms through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is lacking. Here, we report the prevalence and transmission risk of colistin and multidrug resistance in 27 aquaculture water samples from 9 aquaculture zones from over 5000 km of subtropical coastlines in southern China. The colistin resistance gene mcr-1, mobile genetic element (MGE) intl1 and 13 typical antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were prevalent in all the aquaculture water samples. Most types of antibiotic (especially colistin) resistance are transmissible in bacterial communities based on evidence from laboratory conjugation and transformation experiments. Diverse MDRB were detected in most of the aquaculture water samples, and a strain with high-level colistin resistance, named Ralstonia pickettii MCR, was isolated. The risk of horizontal transfer of the colistin resistance of R. pickettii MCR through conjugation and transformation was low, but the colistin resistance could be steadily transmitted to offspring through vertical transfer. The findings have important implications for the future regulation of antibiotic use in aquaculture farms globally to address the growing threat posed by antibiotic resistance to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taicheng An
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Key Laboratory of City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Yiwei Cai
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Key Laboratory of City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Guiying Li
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Key Laboratory of City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Shaoting Li
- College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Science, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Po Keung Wong
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Key Laboratory of City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Huijun Zhao
- Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, and Griffith School of Environment, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia
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