Technical University of Darmstadt, Institute IWAR, Department of Wastewater Engineering, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany E-mail:
J Water Health. 2020 Dec;18(6):867-878. doi: 10.2166/wh.2020.018.
There are increasing concerns about wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) acting as hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes (ARG). However, their role largely depends upon the treatment methods and antibiotics in the wastewater. To better understand these influences, we compared the occurrence and fate of ARG between a pond system in a developing country (Namibia) and an advanced WWTP (activated sludge system) in a developed country (Germany). A targeted metagenomic approach was used to investigate the wide-spectrum profiles of ARGs and their co-occurrence patterns at both locations. In total, 93 ARG subtypes were found in the German influent wastewater, 277 in the Namibian influent wastewater. The abundant ARG types found in Namibia and Germany differed, especially for multidrug resistance genes. The differences in occurrence and reduction can help to understand the performance of simple WWTP such as pond systems common in Namibia, where direct contact with wastewater is a potential risk for contamination.
人们越来越关注废水处理厂（WWTP）成为抗生素耐药基因（ARG）热点的问题。然而，其作用在很大程度上取决于废水中的处理方法和抗生素。为了更好地了解这些影响，我们比较了发展中国家（纳米比亚）的池塘系统和发达国家（德国）的先进 WWTP（活性污泥系统）中 ARG 的发生和命运。采用靶向宏基因组学方法来研究两个地点广谱 ARG 及其共存模式。在德国进水废水中共发现 93 种 ARG 亚型，在纳米比亚进水废水中共发现 277 种 ARG 亚型。纳米比亚和德国发现的丰富 ARG 类型不同，特别是多药耐药基因。发生和减少的差异有助于了解像纳米比亚这样常见的池塘系统等简单 WWTP 的性能，在这些系统中，与废水的直接接触是污染的潜在风险。
