MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Institute of Eco-environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Department of Civil and Environment Engineering, University of Vermont Burlington, VT 05405, United States.
Sci Total Environ. 2017 Dec 1;599-600:1977-1983. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.152. Epub 2017 May 24.
The prevalence and proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been identified as an emerging contaminant of concern and a crucial threat to public health worldwide. In this study, we carried out a nation-wide sampling campaign across China to investigate the distribution and abundances of 8 major ARGs in agricultural soils. The levels of sulfonamide (sul) and tetracycline (tet) resistance genes in China's agricultural soils ranged from 10-10 to 10-10 gene copies/16S rRNA gene copies, respectively. Northeast China is the hot-spot of ARGs, likely due to long-term wastewater irrigation in the area. Redundancy analysis was further performed to assess the influences of environmental variables on ARG abundances. Sulfonamide resistance genes displayed strong correlations with meteorological parameters (mean annual precipitation and temperature), and decreased from north to south. In comparison, tetracycline resistance genes were more closely related to soil organic matter and pH. Co-selection between heavy metals and ARGs was significant among Cu, Hg and sulfonamide resistance genes. This study highlighted the current status of ARG contamination and their influencing factors in China's agricultural soils. Findings are valuable to identify effective management options for reducing the release of antibiotics and control ARG spread in the agriculture sector across the world.
抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）的流行和扩散已被确定为一个新出现的关注污染物，也是对全球公众健康的一个关键威胁。在本研究中，我们在中国范围内进行了全国性的采样活动，以调查农业土壤中 8 种主要 ARGs 的分布和丰度。中国农业土壤中磺胺类（sul）和四环素（tet）耐药基因的水平分别为 10-10 到 10-10 基因拷贝/16S rRNA 基因拷贝。东北地区是 ARGs 的热点区域，可能是由于该地区长期进行污水灌溉。进一步进行冗余分析以评估环境变量对 ARG 丰度的影响。磺胺类耐药基因与气象参数（年平均降水量和温度）具有很强的相关性，并呈现从北到南逐渐减少的趋势。相比之下，四环素耐药基因与土壤有机质和 pH 值的相关性更强。重金属和 ARGs 之间的共选择在 Cu、Hg 和磺胺类耐药基因之间非常显著。本研究强调了中国农业土壤中 ARG 污染的现状及其影响因素。研究结果有助于确定在全球范围内减少抗生素释放和控制农业领域 ARG 传播的有效管理措施。
