Gunawardana Wasana, Kalupahana Ruwani S, Kottawatta Sanda A, Gamage Ashoka, Merah Othmane
China Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Centre for Water Technology (JRDC), E.O.E Pereira Mawatha, Meewathura Road, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka.
Department of Veterinary Public Health and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka.
Life (Basel). 2024 Aug 25;14(9):1065. doi: 10.3390/life14091065.
The emergence of antibiotic resistance (AR) poses a significant threat to both public health and aquatic ecosystems. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as potential hotspots for disseminating AR in the environment. However, only a limited number of studies have been conducted on AR dissemination through WWTPs in Sri Lanka. To address this knowledge gap in AR dissemination through WWTP operations in Sri Lanka, we critically examined the global situation of WWTPs as hotspots for transmitting antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) by evaluating more than a hundred peer-reviewed international publications and available national publications. Our findings discuss the current state of operating WWTPs in the country and highlight the research needed in controlling AR dissemination. The results revealed that the impact of different wastewater types, such as clinical, veterinary, domestic, and industrial, on the dissemination of AR has not been extensively studied in Sri Lanka; furthermore, the effectiveness of various wastewater treatment techniques in removing ARGs requires further investigation to improve the technologies. Furthermore, existing studies have not explored deeply enough the potential public health and ecological risks posed by AR dissemination through WWTPs.
抗生素耐药性（AR）的出现对公共卫生和水生生态系统都构成了重大威胁。污水处理厂（WWTPs）已被确定为环境中传播AR的潜在热点。然而，关于AR通过斯里兰卡污水处理厂传播的研究数量有限。为了填补斯里兰卡污水处理厂运营中AR传播方面的这一知识空白，我们通过评估一百多篇同行评审的国际出版物和现有的国内出版物，批判性地审视了污水处理厂作为传播抗生素耐药菌（ARB）和抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）热点的全球情况。我们的研究结果讨论了该国污水处理厂的运营现状，并强调了控制AR传播所需的研究。结果显示，在斯里兰卡，不同类型的废水，如临床废水、兽医废水、生活废水和工业废水，对AR传播的影响尚未得到广泛研究；此外，各种废水处理技术在去除ARGs方面的有效性需要进一步研究以改进这些技术。此外，现有研究对通过污水处理厂传播AR所带来的潜在公共卫生和生态风险的探索还不够深入。
