Liu Chang, Chen Jinping, Shan Xin, Yang Yuyi, Song Liuting, Teng Yanguo, Chen Haiyang
College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Feb 20;860:160513. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160513. Epub 2022 Nov 25.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the significant global issues to public health. Compared to other aquatic environments, research on AMR in groundwater is scarce. In the study, a meta-analysis was conducted to explore the characteristics and risks of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in global groundwater, using a data set of antibiotic concentrations collected from publications during 2000-2021 and a large-scale metagenomes of groundwater samples (n = 330). The ecotoxicological risks of antibiotics in the global groundwater were evaluated using mixture risk quotient with concentration addition model to consider the synergistic effects of multiple antibiotics. Bioinformatic annotations identified 1413 ARGs belonging to 37 ARG types in the global groundwater, dominated by rifamycin, polyketide, and quinolone resistance genes and including some emerging ARGs such as mcr-family and carbapenem genes. Relatively, the level of ARGs in the groundwater from spring was significantly higher (ANOVA, p < 0.01) than those from the riparian zone, sand and deep aquifer. Similarly, metal resistance genes (MRGs) were prevalent in the global groundwater, and network analysis suggested the MRGs presented non-random co-occurrence with the ARGs in such environments. Taxonomic annotations showed Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Eukaryota, Acidobacteria and Thaumarchaeota were the dominant phylum in the groundwater, and the microbial community largely shaped profile of ARGs in the environment. Notably, the ARGs presented co-occurrence with mobile genetic elements, virulence factors and human bacterial pathogens, indicating potential dissemination risk of ARGs in the groundwater. Furthermore, an omics-based approach was used for health risk assessment of antibiotic resistome and screened out 152 risk ARGs in the global groundwater. Comparatively, spring and cold creek presented higher risk index, which deserves more attention to ensure the safety of water supply.
抗菌药物耐药性（AMR）是对全球公共卫生具有重大影响的问题之一。与其他水生环境相比，关于地下水中AMR的研究较为匮乏。在本研究中，我们进行了一项荟萃分析，以探讨全球地下水中抗生素和抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）的特征及风险，分析数据来自2000年至2021年期间发表的关于抗生素浓度的数据集以及大规模的地下水样本宏基因组（n = 330）。我们使用混合风险商数和浓度相加模型评估全球地下水中抗生素的生态毒理学风险，以考虑多种抗生素的协同效应。通过生物信息学注释，在全球地下水中鉴定出1413个属于37种ARG类型的ARGs，主要为利福霉素、聚酮化合物和喹诺酮耐药基因，还包括一些新兴的ARGs，如mcr家族和碳青霉烯类基因。相对而言，泉水中的ARGs水平显著高于（方差分析，p < 0.01）河岸带、沙地和深层含水层中的ARGs水平。同样，金属抗性基因（MRGs）在全球地下水中普遍存在，网络分析表明在这种环境中MRGs与ARGs呈现非随机共现。分类注释显示，变形菌门、放线菌门、真核生物、酸杆菌门和奇古菌门是地下水中的主要门类，微生物群落很大程度上塑造了环境中ARGs的分布特征。值得注意的是，ARGs与移动遗传元件、毒力因子和人类细菌病原体共现，表明地下水中ARGs存在潜在的传播风险。此外，我们采用基于组学的方法对抗生素抗性组进行健康风险评估，并在全球地下水中筛选出152个风险ARGs。相比之下，泉水和冷溪的风险指数较高，为确保供水安全，值得更多关注。
