González-Villalobos Edgar, de Almeida Kumlien Ana Carolina Maganha, Sànchez-Melsió Alexandre, Balcázar José Luis
Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), 17003, Girona, Spain.
Research Division, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine UNAM, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico.
Microb Ecol. 2025 May 8;88(1):41. doi: 10.1007/s00248-025-02541-0.
This study aimed to investigate the presence and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in bacterial and phage DNA fractions from sediment samples collected from the Onyar River, both before and after its passage through the urban area of Girona (northeast Spain). Genes conferring resistance to β-lactams, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines were quantified using quantitative PCR. Our findings showed that ARGs are present in both bacterial and phage DNA fractions, with a higher abundance in the bacterial fraction. Notably, our analysis revealed an increased abundance of the sulfonamide resistance gene sulI in the phage DNA fraction when comparing samples collected before and after the river's passage through the city. Although similar trends were observed for other ARGs (e.g., qnrS and sulII), these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). These findings emphasize the importance of phages as potential reservoirs or vehicles for ARGs in environmental settings. Further research is needed to elucidate the factors that influence gene transfer dynamics and the persistence of ARGs within phages.
本研究旨在调查从奥尼亚尔河采集的沉积物样本中，在其流经西班牙东北部吉罗纳市区之前和之后，细菌和噬菌体DNA组分中抗生素抗性基因（ARGs）的存在情况和丰度。使用定量PCR对赋予β-内酰胺类、氟喹诺酮类、大环内酯类、磺胺类和四环素类抗性的基因进行定量。我们的研究结果表明，ARGs存在于细菌和噬菌体DNA组分中，细菌组分中的丰度更高。值得注意的是，我们的分析显示，与河流流经城市之前和之后采集的样本相比，噬菌体DNA组分中磺胺类抗性基因sulI的丰度有所增加。尽管其他ARGs（如qnrS和sulII）也观察到类似趋势，但这些差异无统计学意义（p>0.05）。这些发现强调了噬菌体作为环境中ARGs潜在储存库或载体的重要性。需要进一步研究以阐明影响基因转移动态和噬菌体中ARGs持久性的因素。
