Sahlström Leena, Rehbinder Verena, Albihn Ann, Aspan Anna, Bengtsson Björn
Finnish Food Safety Authority, Evira, Mustialankatu 3, Helsinki, Finland.
Acta Vet Scand. 2009 May 29;51(1):24. doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-51-24.
Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat in veterinary medicine and human healthcare. Resistance genes can spread from animals, through the food-chain, and back to humans. Sewage sludge may act as the link back from humans to animals. The main aims of this study were to investigate the occurrence of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) in treated sewage sludge, in a Swedish waste water treatment plant (WWTP), and to compare VRE isolates from sewage sludge with isolates from humans and chickens.
During a four month long study, sewage sludge was collected weekly and cultured for VRE. The VRE isolates from sewage sludge were analysed and compared to each other and to human and chicken VRE isolates by biochemical typing (PhenePlate), PFGE and antibiograms.
Biochemical typing (PhenePlate-FS) and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed prevalence of specific VRE strains in sewage sludge for up to 16 weeks. No connection was found between the VRE strains isolated from sludge, chickens and humans, indicating that human VRE did not originate from Swedish chicken.
This study demonstrated widespread occurrence of VRE in sewage sludge in the studied WWTP. This implies a risk of antimicrobial resistance being spread to new farms and to the society via the environment if the sewage sludge is used on arable land.
抗菌药物耐药性是兽医医学和人类医疗保健领域的严重威胁。耐药基因可从动物传播，通过食物链，再回到人类。污水污泥可能成为从人类回到动物的环节。本研究的主要目的是调查瑞典一家污水处理厂（WWTP）处理后的污水污泥中万古霉素耐药肠球菌（VRE）的发生情况，并将污水污泥中的VRE分离株与人类和鸡的分离株进行比较。
在为期四个月的研究中，每周收集污水污泥并培养VRE。对污水污泥中的VRE分离株进行分析，并通过生化分型（PhenePlate）、脉冲场凝胶电泳（PFGE）和抗菌谱将其相互比较，并与人类和鸡的VRE分离株进行比较。
生化分型（PhenePlate-FS）和脉冲场凝胶电泳（PFGE）显示特定VRE菌株在污水污泥中流行长达16周。未发现从污泥、鸡和人类分离的VRE菌株之间存在关联，这表明人类VRE并非源自瑞典的鸡。
本研究表明在所研究的污水处理厂的污水污泥中VRE广泛存在。这意味着如果将污水污泥用于耕地，抗菌药物耐药性有可能通过环境传播到新的农场和社会。
