Water Research Institute, National Research Council of Italy, via Salaria km 29.300, Monterotondo, Rome, 00015, Italy.
Environ Toxicol Chem. 2022 Mar;41(3):687-714. doi: 10.1002/etc.5289. Epub 2022 Feb 22.
River ecosystems are very important parts of the water cycle and an excellent habitat, food, and drinking water source for many organisms, including humans. Antibiotics are emerging contaminants which can enter rivers from various sources. Several antibiotics and their related antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been detected in these ecosystems by various research programs and could constitute a substantial problem. The presence of antibiotics and other resistance cofactors can boost the development of ARGs in the chromosomes or mobile genetic elements of natural bacteria in rivers. The ARGs in environmental bacteria can also be transferred to clinically important pathogens. However, antibiotics and their resistance genes are both not currently monitored by national or international authorities responsible for controlling the quality of water bodies. For example, they are not included in the contaminant list in the European Water Framework Directive or in the US list of Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants. Although ARGs are naturally present in the environment, very few studies have focused on non-impacted rivers to assess the background ARG levels in rivers, which could provide some useful indications for future environmental regulation and legislation. The present study reviews the antibiotics and associated ARGs most commonly measured and detected in rivers, including the primary analysis tools used for their assessment. In addition, other factors that could enhance antibiotic resistance, such as the effects of chemical mixtures, the effects of climate change, and the potential effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, are discussed. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:687-714. © 2022 SETAC.
河流生态系统是水循环的重要组成部分，也是许多生物（包括人类）的绝佳栖息地、食物和饮用水源。抗生素是新兴的污染物，可通过多种来源进入河流。多个研究项目已经在这些生态系统中检测到几种抗生素及其相关的抗生素抗性基因（ARGs），这可能构成一个重大问题。抗生素和其他抗性协同因子的存在可以促进河流中自然细菌的染色体或移动遗传元件中 ARGs 的发展。环境细菌中的 ARGs 也可以转移到临床上重要的病原体中。然而，负责控制水体质量的国家或国际当局目前都没有监测抗生素及其抗性基因。例如，它们未被列入欧洲水框架指令的污染物清单或美国污染物水质基准清单中。尽管 ARGs 在环境中自然存在，但很少有研究关注未受影响的河流，以评估河流中 ARG 的背景水平，这可为未来的环境监管和立法提供一些有用的依据。本研究综述了河流中最常测量和检测到的抗生素及其相关的 ARGs，包括用于评估它们的主要分析工具。此外，还讨论了其他可能增强抗生素抗性的因素，如化学混合物的影响、气候变化的影响以及 2019 年冠状病毒病大流行的潜在影响。环境毒理化学 2022；41:687-714。©2022 SETAC。
