Patra Mrinmoy, Pandey Bhavana, Dubey Suresh Kumar
Molecular Ecology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India.
FEMS Microbes. 2024 Feb 28;5:xtae004. doi: 10.1093/femsmc/xtae004. eCollection 2024.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contamination in the environment is one of the most significant worldwide threats of the 21 century. Since sludge is heavily exposed to diverse contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, the inhabitant bacterial population is expected to exhibit resistance to antimicrobial agents. In this study, sewage treatment plant (STP) sludge samples were analyzed to assess the antibiotic-resistant bacterial population, abundance of AMR genes (ermF, qnrS, Sul1, blaGES, blaCTX-M, and blaNDM), and mobile genetic elements (intl1 and IS26). Out of 16, six bacterial isolates exhibited resistance to 13 antibiotics with a high multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARI) (0.93) and high metal tolerance. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed the abundance of target genes ranging from 6.6 × 10 to 6.5 × 10 copies g sludge. The overall outcome reveals that STP sludge comprised varied multidrug-resistant bacterial populations. It will give insights into the functions of heavy metals and biofilm development in the selection and spread of AMR genes and the associated bacteria. Therefore, the application of sludge needs proper screening for AMR and metal contamination prior to its countless applications. This study will contribute immensely to the risk analysis of STP effluents on environmental health, including control of AMR transmission.
环境中的抗微生物药物耐药性(AMR)污染是21世纪全球面临的最重大威胁之一。由于污泥大量接触包括药物在内的各种污染物,预计其栖息的细菌种群会对抗菌剂表现出耐药性。在本研究中,对污水处理厂(STP)的污泥样本进行了分析,以评估抗生素耐药细菌种群、AMR基因(ermF、qnrS、Sul1、blaGES、blaCTX - M和blaNDM)的丰度以及移动遗传元件(intl1和IS26)。在16株细菌分离物中,有6株对13种抗生素表现出耐药性,具有较高的多重抗生素耐药指数(MARI)(0.93)和较高的金属耐受性。定量聚合酶链反应显示目标基因的丰度范围为6.6×10至6.5×10拷贝/克污泥。总体结果表明,STP污泥包含多种耐多药细菌种群。这将有助于深入了解重金属和生物膜形成在AMR基因及相关细菌的选择和传播中的作用。因此,在污泥进行大量应用之前,需要对其AMR和金属污染进行适当筛选。本研究将极大地有助于对STP废水对环境健康的风险分析,包括控制AMR传播。