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Keenum I, Calarco J, Majeed H, Hager-Soto EE, Bott C, Garner E, Harwood VJ, Pruden A. To what extent do water reuse treatments reduce antibiotic resistance indicators? A comparison of two full-scale systems. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 254:121425. [PMID: 38492480 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Water reuse is an essential strategy for reducing water demand from conventional sources, alleviating water stress, and promoting sustainability, but understanding the effectiveness of associated treatment processes as barriers to the spread of antibiotic resistance is an important consideration to protecting human health. We comprehensively evaluated the reduction of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in two field-operational water reuse systems with distinct treatment trains, one producing water for indirect potable reuse (ozone/biologically-active carbon/granular activated carbon) and the other for non-potable reuse (denitrification-filtration/chlorination) using metagenomic sequencing and culture. Relative abundances of total ARGs/clinically-relevant ARGs and cultured ARB were reduced by several logs during primary and secondary stages of wastewater treatment, but to a lesser extent during the tertiary water reuse treatments. In particular, ozonation tended to enrich multi-drug ARGs. The effect of chlorination was facility-dependent, increasing the relative abundance of ARGs when following biologically-active carbon filters, but generally providing a benefit in reduced bacterial numbers and ecological and human health resistome risk scores. Relative abundances of total ARGs and resistome risk scores were lowest in aquifer samples, although resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were occasionally detected in the monitoring well 3-days downgradient from injection, but not 6-months downgradient. Resistant E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were occasionally detected in the nonpotable reuse distribution system, along with increased levels of multidrug, sulfonamide, phenicol, and aminoglycoside ARGs. This study illuminates specific vulnerabilities of water reuse systems to persistence, selection, and growth of ARGs and ARB and emphasizes the role of multiple treatment barriers, including aquifers and distribution systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishi Keenum
- Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Present address: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, Michigan Tech, Houghton, MI, USA
| | - Jeanette Calarco
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Haniyyah Majeed
- Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - E Eldridge Hager-Soto
- Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Charles Bott
- Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
| | - Emily Garner
- Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Valerie J Harwood
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Amy Pruden
- Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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2
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Yan Q, Zhong Z, Li X, Cao Z, Zheng X, Feng G. Characterization of heavy metal, antibiotic pollution, and their resistance genes in paddy with secondary municipal-treated wastewater irrigation. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 252:121208. [PMID: 38309064 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121208] [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: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Secondary municipal-treated wastewater irrigation may introduce residual antibiotics into the agricultural systems contaminated with certain heavy metals, ultimately leading to the coexistence of antibiotics and heavy metals. The coexistence may induce synergistic resistance to both in the microbial community. Here, we investigated the effects of long-term municipal-treated irrigation for rice on the microbiome and resistome. The results showed that the target antibiotics were undetectable in edible grains, and the heavy metal concentrations did not exceed the standard in edible rice grains. Heavy metal resistance genes (MRGs) ruvB and acn antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) sul1 and sul2 were the dominating resistant genes. The coexistence of antibiotics and heavy metals affected the microbial community and promoted metal and antibiotic resistance. Network analysis revealed that Proteobacteria were the most influential hosts for MRGs, ARGs, and integrons, and co-selection may serve as a potential mechanism for resistance maintenance. MRG czcA and ARG sul1 can be recommended as model genes to study the co-selection of ARGs and MRGs in environments. The obtained results highlight the importance of considering the co-occurrence of heavy metals and antibiotics while developing effective methods to prevent the transmission of ARGs. These findings are critical for assessing the possible human health concerns associated with secondary municipal-treated wastewater irrigation for agriculture and improving the understanding of the coexistence of heavy metals and antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Yan
- China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China; Rice Product Quality Inspection & Supervision Testing Center, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China.
| | - Zhengzheng Zhong
- China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China; Rice Product Quality Inspection & Supervision Testing Center, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China
| | - Zhaoyun Cao
- China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China; Rice Product Quality Inspection & Supervision Testing Center, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China
| | - Xiaolong Zheng
- China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China; Rice Product Quality Inspection & Supervision Testing Center, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China
| | - Guozhong Feng
- China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, PR China.
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Zhong QL, Chen Z, Shen Q, Xiong JQ. Occurrence of antibiotics in reclaimed water, and their uptake dynamics, phytotoxicity, and metabolic fate in Lolium perenne L. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 904:166975. [PMID: 37704136 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Reclaimed water (RW) has been extensively used for irrigation in agriculture, yet the occurrence of antibiotics in real RW, and their toxicity, uptake dynamics and metabolic fate still needs comprehensive exploration. In this study, we investigated the residual concentrations of nineteen antibiotics in the RW from four wastewater treatment plants, and determined their toxicity on plant at environment-relevant concentration. Total found concentrations of these antibiotics ranged from 623.66 ng L-1 to 1536.96 ng L-1, which decreased 10.3 and 19.4 % of roots' length and weight. Uptake dynamics analysis of the most hazardous antibiotic, norfloxacin (NFX) showed increasing amounts in the roots and leaves up to 3087.71 μg g-1. Ryegrass also can remove >80 % of 100 μg L-1 NFX being achieved by biodegradation through ring cleavage, decarboxylation, defluorination, hydrogenation, methylation and oxidation. Toxicity assessment of the identified byproducts showed their more toxic effect on fish, daphnia and algae. This study extended our understanding of the fate of antibiotics in plants during irrigation with reclaimed water, and emphasized its safety and pollutants' biomagnification concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiu-Lian Zhong
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Campus, Yushan Road 5, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Department of Haide, Ocean University of China, Laoshan Campus, Songling Road 238, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Qingyue Shen
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Campus, Yushan Road 5, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Jiu-Qiang Xiong
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Yushan Campus, Yushan Road 5, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
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4
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Jing K, Li Y, Yao C, Jiang C, Li J. Towards the fate of antibiotics and the development of related resistance genes in stream biofilms. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 898:165554. [PMID: 37454845 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotics are ubiquitously found in natural surface waters and cause great harm to aquatic organisms. Stream biofilm is a complex and active community composed of algae, bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms, which mainly adheres to solid substances such as rocks and sediments. The durability and diverse structural and metabolic characteristics of biofilms make them a representative of microbial life in aquatic micrecosystems and can reflect major ecosystem processes. Microorganisms and extracellular polymeric substances in biofilms can adsorb and actively accumulate antibiotics. Therefore, biofilms are excellent biological indicators for detecting antibiotic in polluted aquatic environments, but the biotransformation potential of stream biofilms for antibiotics has not been fully explored in the aquatic environment. The characteristics of stream biofilm, such as high abundance and activity of bacterial community, wide contact area with pollutants, etc., which increases the opportunity of biotransformation of antibiotics in biofilm and contribute to bioremediation to improve ecosystem health. Recent studies have demonstrated that both exposure to high and sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics may drive the development of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in natural stream biofilms, which are susceptible to the effects of antibiotic residues, microbial communities and mobile genetic elements, etc. On the basis of peer-reviewed papers, this review explores the distribution behavior of antibiotics in stream biofilms and the contribution of biofilms to the acquisition and spread of antibiotic resistance. Considering that antibiotics and ARGs alter the structure and ecological functions of natural microbial communities and pose a threat to river organisms and human health, our research findings provide comprehensive insights into the migration, transformation, and bioavailability of antibiotics in biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Jing
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, HoHai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Ying Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, HoHai University, Nanjing 210098, China.
| | - Chi Yao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, HoHai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Chenxue Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, HoHai University, Nanjing 210098, China
| | - Jing Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, HoHai University, Nanjing 210098, China
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Mishra S, Cheng L, Lian Y. Response of biofilm-based systems for antibiotics removal from wastewater: Resource efficiency and process resiliency. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 340:139878. [PMID: 37604340 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139878] [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: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Biofilm-based systems have efficient stability to cope-up influent shock loading with protective and abundant microbial assemblage, which are extensively exploited for biodegradation of recalcitrant antibiotics from wastewater. The system performance is subject to biofilm types, chemical composition, growth and thickness maintenance. The present study elaborates discussion on different type of biofilms and their formation mechanism involving extracellular polymeric substances secreted by microbes when exposed to antibiotics-laden wastewater. The biofilm models applied for estimation/prediction of biofilm-based systems performance are explored to classify the application feasibility. Further, the critical review of antibiotics removal efficiency, design and operation of different biofilm-based systems (e.g. rotating biological contactor, membrane biofilm bioreactor etc.) is performed. Extending the information on effect of various process parameters (e.g. hydraulic retention time, pH, biocarrier filling ratio etc.), the microbial community dynamics responsible of antibiotics biodegradation in biofilms, the technological problems, related prospective and key future research directions are demonstrated. The biofilm-based system with biocarriers filling ratio of ∼50-70% and predominantly enriched with bacterial species of phylum Proteobacteria protected under biofilm thickness of ∼1600 μm is effectively utilized for antibiotic biodegradation (>90%) when operated at DO concentration ≥3 mg/L. The C/N ratio ≥1 is best suitable condition to eliminate antibiotic pollution from biofilm-based systems. Considering the significance of biofilm-based systems, this review study could be beneficial for the researchers targeting to develop sustainable biofilm-based technologies with feasible regulatory strategies for treatment of mixed antibiotics-laden real wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurabh Mishra
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu, China; Institute of Water Science and Technology, Hohai University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210098, China; State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Liu Cheng
- College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210098, China
| | - Yanqing Lian
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu, China; State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu, China.
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6
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Gajdoš S, Zuzáková J, Pacholská T, Kužel V, Karpíšek I, Karmann C, Šturmová R, Bindzar J, Smrčková Š, Sýkorová Z, Srb M, Šmejkalová P, Kok D, Kouba V. Synergistic removal of pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistance from ultrafiltered WWTP effluent: Free-floating ARGs exceptionally susceptible to degradation. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 340:117861. [PMID: 37116413 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
To protect the environment and human health, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and persistent pharmaceuticals need to be removed from WWTP effluent prior to its reuse. However, an efficient process for removing free-floating extracellular DNA (exDNA) in combination with a wide range of pharmaceuticals is yet to be reported for real process conditions. As a possible solution, we treated real ultrafiltered WWTP effluent with UV/H2O2 and combined GAC and zeolite sorption. In terms of exDNA, sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR (HT-qPCR) showed that exDNA is a potent carrier of numerous ARGs in ultrafiltered WWTP effluent (123 ARGs), including multi-drug efflux pump mexF that became the dominant exARG in GAC effluent over time. Due to the exposure to degradation agents, exDNA was reduced more efficiently than intracellular DNA, and overall levels of ARGs were substantially lowered. Moreover, GAC sorption was particularly effective in the removal of almost all the 85 detected pharmaceutical residues, with fresh GAC demonstrating an efficiency of up to 100%. However, zeolite (Si/Al 0.8) addition was needed to enhance the removal of persistent pollutants such as gabapentin and diclofenac to 57% and up to 100%, respectively. Our combined approach eminently decreases the hazardous effects of pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistance in the ultrafiltered WWTP effluent, producing effluent suitable for multiple reuse options according to the latest legislation. In addition, we provided similarly promising but less extensive data for surface water and treated greywater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Gajdoš
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | - Jana Zuzáková
- PVK, a.s., Ke Kablu 971, 102 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic.
| | - Tamara Pacholská
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | - Vojtěch Kužel
- PVK, a.s., Ke Kablu 971, 102 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic.
| | - Ivan Karpíšek
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | - Christina Karmann
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | - Rebecca Šturmová
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Bindzar
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | - Štěpánka Smrčková
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | | | - Martin Srb
- PVK, a.s., Ke Kablu 971, 102 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic.
| | - Pavla Šmejkalová
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | - Dana Kok
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
| | - Vojtěch Kouba
- Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, UCT Prague, Technická 3, Praha 6, 166 28, Czech Republic.
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7
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Ndlela LL, Schroeder P, Genthe B, Cruzeiro C. Removal of Antibiotics Using an Algae-Algae Consortium ( Chlorella protothecoides and Chlorella vulgaris). TOXICS 2023; 11:588. [PMID: 37505554 PMCID: PMC10383683 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11070588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The intensive use of antibiotics (for human, veterinary, and agricultural purposes) has steadily increased over the last 30 years. Large amounts of antibiotic residues are released into aquatic systems, mostly due to inefficient wastewater treatment. Conventional wastewater treatments are not designed to remove emerging contaminants (such as antibiotics) from wastewater. Therefore, algae treatment (phycoremediation) has emerged as a promising choice for cost-effective, eco-friendly, and sustainable wastewater treatment. For this reason, we investigated the removal performance of a well-established algal consortia (Chlorella protothecoides and Chlorella vulgaris) used in passive wastewater treatment ponds (Mosselbay, South Africa). Five antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole, amoxicillin, trimethoprim, ofloxacin, and clarithromycin) were selected for their ubiquity and/or low removal efficiency in conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). For each antibiotic, two concentrations were used: one environmentally relevant (10 ppb) and another 10 times higher (100 ppb), tested in triplicate and collected at two-time points (7 and 10 days). The algae remained viable over the exposure period (which is similar to the retention time within maturation ponds) and exhibited the capacity to remove sulfamethoxazole (77.3% ± 3.0 and 46.5% ± 5.3) and ofloxacin (43.5% ± 18.9 and 55.1% ± 12.0) from samples spiked with 10 and 100 ppb, respectively. This study demonstrates the potential and innovation of algal remediation for contaminants in a developing country context, where minimal infrastructure is available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyanda L Ndlela
- Natural Resources and the Environment Division, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa
| | - Peter Schroeder
- Unit Environmental Simulation, Helmholtz Zentrum München German Research Center for Environmental Health, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Bettina Genthe
- Natural Resources and the Environment Division, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa
| | - Catarina Cruzeiro
- Unit Environmental Simulation, Helmholtz Zentrum München German Research Center for Environmental Health, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
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8
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Li YQ, Zhang CM, Yuan QQ, Wu K. New insight into the effect of microplastics on antibiotic resistance and bacterial community of biofilm. CHEMOSPHERE 2023:139151. [PMID: 37290506 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) could serve as substrates for microbial colonization and biofilm formation. However, research on the effects of different types of microplastics and natural substrates on biofilm formation and community structure in the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) is limited. In this study, we employed by means of microcosm experiments to analyze the situation of biofilms conditions, bacterial resistance patterns, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) distribution, and bacterial community on different substrates using microbial cultivation, high throughtput sequencing and PCR. The result showed that biofilms on different substrates markedly increased with time, with MPs surfaces formed more biofilm than stone. Analyses of antibiotic resistant showed negligible differences in the resistance rate to the same antibiotic at 30 d, but tetB would be selectively enriched on PP and PET. The microbial communities associated with biofilms on MPs and stones exhibited variations during different stages of formation. Notably, phylum WPS-2 and Epsilonbacteraeota were identified as the dominant microbiomes of biofilms on MPs and stones at 30 d, respectively. Correlation analysis suggested that WPS-2 could potentially be a tetracycline-resistant bacterium, while Epsilonbacteraeota did not correlate with any detected ARB. Our results emphasized the potential threat posed by MPs as attachment carriers for bacteria, particularly ARB, in aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Qiang Li
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China; Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China
| | - Chong-Miao Zhang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China; Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China; International Science and Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China.
| | - Qiao-Qiao Yuan
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China; Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China
| | - Kai Wu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China; Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China
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9
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Wang S, Zhu H, Zhang C, Ye Y, Zhang R, Wang X, Liu C. Microscopic insights into the variations of antibiotics sorption to clay minerals. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 258:114970. [PMID: 37148753 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the adsorption behavior of antibiotic molecules on minerals is crucial for determining the environmental fate and transport of antibiotics in soils and waters. However, the microscopic mechanisms that govern the adsorption of common antibiotics, such as the molecular orientation during the adsorption process and the conformation of sorbate species, are not well understood. To address this gap, we conducted a series of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and thermodynamics analyses to investigate the adsorption of two typical antibiotics, tetracycline (TET) and sulfathiazole (ST), on the surface of montmorillonite. The simulation results indicated that the adsorption free energy ranged from - 23 to - 32 kJ·mol-1, and - 9 to - 18 kJ·mol-1 for TET and ST, respectively, which was consistent with the measured difference of sorption coefficient (Kd) for TET-montmorillonite of 11.7 L·g-1 and ST-montmorillonite of 0.014 L·g-1. The simulations also found that TET was adsorbed through dimethylamino groups (85% in probability) with a molecular conformation vertical to the montmorillonite's surface, while ST was adsorbed through sulfonyl amide group (95% in probability) with vertical, tilted and parallel conformations on the surface. The results confirmed that molecular spatial orientations could affect the adsorption capacity between antibiotics and minerals. Overall, the microscopic adsorption mechanisms revealed in this study provide critical insights into the complexities of antibiotics adsorption to soil and facilitate the prediction of adsorption capacity of antibiotics on minerals and their environmental transport and fate. This study contributes to our understanding of the environmental impacts of antibiotic usage and highlights the importance of considering molecular-level processes when assessing the fate and transport of antibiotics in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Wang
- Institute for Carbon-Neutral Technology, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen 518055, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of the Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Huiyan Zhu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of the Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of the Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yupei Ye
- Institute for Carbon-Neutral Technology, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Xiaoxiang Wang
- Institute for Carbon-Neutral Technology, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Chongxuan Liu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of the Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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