School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, PR China.
School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China.
Environ Res. 2021 Jun;197:111007. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111007. Epub 2021 Mar 11.
Antibiotic resistance has gained increasing attention worldwide, and wastewater treatment plants have been regarded as hotspots for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs). In this study, we evaluated the removal of tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli and its related genes through ultrasound (US) treatment with different input levels of US-specific energy combined with ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs). Simultaneous US with UV-LEDs effectively eliminated tetracycline-resistant E. coli with the normal suggested UV-LEDs dosage (below 30 mJ/cm). The removal efficiency increased with the addition of US (specific input energy of 8-16 kJ/L), and simultaneous US treatment with UV-LEDs was relatively more effective than US pretreatment. Analyses of cell damage by K leakage and flow cytometry showed that the cell wall kept its integrity during the applied treatment conditions. Consequently, the removal efficiencies of 16 S rRNA, tet M, and tet Q were unsatisfactory because less than 1 log reduction was achieved. Increasing the US energy remarkably damaged the cell wall and potentially promoted the reaction. The removal of ARGs increased four times when using US-specific input energy at 330 kJ/L with 5 mJ/cm compared with UV-LEDs alone. The US treatment combined with UV-LEDs is a novel process that does not require chemicals. Results of this research can provide theoretical support for the removal of ARGs.
抗生素耐药性在全球范围内受到越来越多的关注，污水处理厂被认为是抗生素耐药细菌和抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）的热点。在这项研究中，我们评估了通过不同超声（US）输入水平与紫外线发光二极管（UV-LEDs）联合处理去除四环素耐药大肠杆菌及其相关基因。同时使用 US 和 UV-LEDs 可以有效消除四环素耐药大肠杆菌，而正常建议的 UV-LEDs 剂量（低于 30 mJ/cm）即可。随着 US 的加入（8-16 kJ/L 的特定输入能量），去除效率增加，同时使用 US 处理比 US 预处理更有效。通过钾泄漏和流式细胞术分析细胞损伤表明，在应用的处理条件下细胞壁保持完整。因此，16S rRNA、tet M 和 tet Q 的去除效率不理想，因为去除不到 1 个对数。增加 US 能量会显著破坏细胞壁并可能促进反应。与单独使用 UV-LEDs 相比，当使用 330 kJ/L 的 US 特定输入能量和 5 mJ/cm 时，ARGs 的去除率增加了四倍。US 处理与 UV-LEDs 联合使用是一种不需要化学物质的新工艺。这项研究的结果可为去除 ARGs 提供理论支持。
