CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China.
CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2024 Nov 5;479:135730. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135730. Epub 2024 Sep 2.
Sewage surveillance is a cost-effective tool for assessing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in urban populations. However, research on sewage AMR in remote areas is still limited. Here, we used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to profile antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and ARG-carrying pathogens (APs) across 15 cities in Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the major cities in eastern China. Notable regional disparities in sewage ARG composition were found, with a significantly higher ARG abundance in TP (2.97 copies/cell). A total of 542 and 545 APs were identified in sewage from TP and the East, respectively, while more than 40 % carried mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Moreover, 65 MGEs-carrying APs were identified as World Health Organization (WHO) priority-like bacterial and fungal pathogens. Notably, a fungal zoonotic pathogen, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, was found for the first time to carry a nitroimidazole resistance gene (nimJ). Although distinct in AP compositions, the relative abundances of APs were comparable in these two regions. Furthermore, sewage in TP was found to be comparable to the cities in eastern China in terms of ARG mobility and AMR risks. These findings provide insights into ARGs and APs distribution in Chinese sewage and stress the importance of AMR surveillance and management strategies in remote regions.
污水监测是评估城市人群中抗生素耐药性（AMR）的一种具有成本效益的工具。然而，关于偏远地区污水 AMR 的研究仍然有限。在这里，我们使用鸟枪法宏基因组测序来描述抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）和携带 ARG 的病原体（APs）在青藏高原（TP）和中国东部主要城市的 15 个城市中的分布情况。发现污水中 ARG 组成存在显著的区域差异，TP 中的 ARG 丰度明显更高（2.97 拷贝/细胞）。在 TP 和东部的污水中分别鉴定出 542 和 545 种 APs，而超过 40%的 APs 携带可移动遗传元件（MGEs）。此外，鉴定出 65 种携带 MGE 的 APs 为世界卫生组织（WHO）优先细菌和真菌病原体。值得注意的是，首次发现一种真菌人畜共患病病原体，肠微孢子虫，携带一种硝基咪唑类耐药基因（nimJ）。尽管 APs 的组成明显不同，但这两个地区的 APs 相对丰度相当。此外，TP 的污水在 ARG 移动性和 AMR 风险方面与中国东部城市相当。这些发现为中国污水中 ARGs 和 APs 的分布提供了新的见解，并强调了在偏远地区进行 AMR 监测和管理策略的重要性。
