抗生素单一及联合暴露对RP4质粒介导的抗性基因水平转移的hormesis效应研究

抗生素滥用导致的抗性基因(ARGs)泛滥问题引起人们的日益关注。目前关于抗性基因的研究主要集中在环境监测方面,但是关于抗生素对ARGs传播的影响研究还相对缺乏。质粒是ARGs传播的重要载体,因此以基于RP4质粒的大肠杆菌(E.coli)接合转移体系为研究对象,探讨了盐酸四环素、甲氧苄啶、磺胺氯哒嗪、磺胺异唑在单一暴露条件下对RP4质粒接合转移的影响。根据单一暴露的结果设计混合抗生素的浓度比,探究抗生素联合暴露实验对质粒接合转移的影响。结果表明:在单一暴露条件下,只有盐酸四环素对含有四环素抗性的RP4质粒的接合转移频率有低促高抑的hormesis效应;在联合暴露条件下,对RP4质粒接合转移无促进作用的抗生素会抑制四环素的hormesis效应,这一定程度上降低了抗生素的环境风险。并且用受体理论解释了抗生素对质粒接合转移的hormesis效应产生机制,为目前尚无定论的hormesis受体理论机制提供了证据支持。     

群体感应信号分子存在下磺胺对大肠杆菌生长、突变及R388质粒接合转移的影响

抗生素的滥用使细菌耐药性问题日益突出,给许多疾病的预防与控制增加了难度。基因突变和质粒接合转移是细菌获得抗生素抗性基因的主要方式,许多研究围绕抗性基因来展开,但是关于群体感应对于抗性基因产生和传播的影响鲜有报道。本文以大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)为模式生物,群体感应信号分子N-(β-酮己酰)-L-高丝氨酸内酯(3-oxo-C6-HSL,C6)和3种磺胺类抗生素(磺胺嘧啶、磺胺甲恶唑、磺胺氯哒嗪)为研究对象,测定了其对大肠杆菌生长效应、突变效应及接合转移效应的影响。结果表明:C6不影响磺胺对大肠杆菌的生长抑制率,但能够削弱磺胺对大肠杆菌突变的促进作用,并且能增强磺胺对大肠杆菌R388质粒接合转移的抑制作用。本文为从群体感应角度研究大肠杆菌耐药性的产生与传播提供新思路。     

双酚A促进粪肠球菌中信息素调控质粒pCF10介导的耐药基因接合转移

粪肠球菌是一种在自然水体中广泛存在的革兰氏阳性细菌。信息素调控质粒介导的接合转移是造成粪肠球菌耐药基因快速扩散的重要方式。双酚A是一种内分泌干扰物,因其在工业中大量应用造成其在水环境中的广泛分布。本文以信息素调控质粒中比较有代表性的pCF10质粒作为研究对象,研究了双酚A对粪肠球菌中耐药基因接合转移的影响,证实了双酚A可以促进pCF10质粒介导的耐药基因接合转移,且这一结果同双酚A作用浓度和作用时间相关。双酚A影响耐药基因的扩散,是通过促进编码正调控信息素的ccfA基因表达实现的。本文旨在深入理解双酚A影响抗生素抗性基因扩散的环境行为,为耐药基因控制及双酚A环境效应的评估提供理论支持。     

北黄海近岸海域磺胺类抗生素及其抗性Escherichia coli分布

致病菌耐药性的增加和扩散目前已成为全球公共安全问题,为提供解决该问题的重要理论数据,在我国北黄海近岸海域采集排污口、海水养殖区和海滨浴场等水样和沉积物样品,利用HPLC-MS/MS分析水体样品中14种磺胺类(SAs)抗生素浓度含量,同时根据EPA方法(Method 1604)对水和沉积物中Escherichia coli(E.coli)和磺胺抗性E.coli(Re-E.coli)总量进行测定,计算出E.coli磺胺抗性水平,进而探讨该区域水体中E.coli磺胺抗性率与磺胺类抗生素浓度含量的相关性以及E.coli磺胺抗性菌株的分布特点及来源.结果显示,北黄海近岸海域水体中抗生素检出浓度差异性较大,磺胺浓度含量范围为ND-584.32 ng/L;E.coli和Re-E.coli每100 mL总量范围在27×104-5.5×104和8×104-1.6×104株,在每克沉积物中分别为0-1 363和0-320株;E.coli磺胺抗性率范围为18.18%-66.91%.研究表明,E.coli磺胺抗性率与磺胺类抗生素浓度含量存在显著相关性(P=0.846),说明环境残留抗生素可诱导抗性微生物;E.coli和Re-E.coli分布和抗性水平显示,抗性基因之间存在水平转移,且其主要来源是渔业养殖.     

磺胺氯哒嗪对大肠杆菌的生长、突变及接合转移效应的影响

抗生素的大量使用导致细菌的耐药性,直接威胁了人类的生命健康,加剧了抗生素的环境生态风险.为了研究抗生素抗性基因(antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)的扩散与抗生素浓度之间的关系,本文以磺胺氯哒嗪(sulfachloropyridazine,SCP)为研究对象,测定了SCP对只有磺胺敏感大肠杆菌的单一菌液的生长和突变效应的影响,SCP对含有耐磺胺大肠杆菌和磺胺敏感大肠杆菌的混合菌液的生长、突变及RP4质粒和R388质粒的接合转移效应的影响.研究结果显示,单一菌液的突变促进效应浓度区间(RCS)和突变促进无效应浓度RC0-1皆小于混合菌液;4.0×10~(-5)—8.7×10~(-5)mol·L~(-1)浓度范围内SCP作用下,单一菌液的突变效应受抑制而混合菌液的突变效应相较于空白组显著促进(P0.05);1.9×10~(-5)—6.3×10~(-5)mol·L~(-1)浓度范围的SCP能够促进混合菌液的突变,对ARGs的筛选风险较大,且SCP在6.3×10~(-5)—1.5×10~(-4)mol·L~(-1)范围对RP4和R388质粒的接合转移效应有明显的抑制作用,说明在本实验浓度范围内SCP对接合子的促进风险较小.综上,单一菌液的效应不足以说明环境中磺胺类抗生素的突变风险,研究磺胺类抗生素对耐药基因传播的影响时应混合耐磺胺大肠杆菌和磺胺敏感大肠杆菌作为受试菌,实验证明环境中低浓度的SCP对抗性基因的产生的促进风险较大.     

纳米二硫化钼促进粪肠球菌中信息素诱导质粒介导的耐药基因接合转移

粪肠球菌是一种通常寄居在人和动物胃肠道中的机会致病菌,并广泛存在于环境中。其可通过基因的水平转移获得抗生素抗性。纳米二硫化钼(molybdenum disulfide, MoS_2)是一种新型的二维层状材料,有广泛的应用前景,但缺乏对纳米MoS_2完整的生物安全评价。本研究以粪肠球菌为接合模型,将纳米MoS_2加入接合体系中研究其对信息素诱导质粒pCF10接合转移的影响。研究发现,纳米MoS_2具有促进接合转移的作用,其中25 mg·L^(-1)的纳米MoS_2促进效果最明显,可以将接合频率提高5倍～8倍。因为纳米MoS_2良好的生物相容性对细胞膜通透性、细胞内活性氧水平和接合转移调控基因的表达都没有产生明显影响。纳米MoS_2具有吸附性能,而且又是片层状的结构,这使得其可以附着在细菌表面,促进细菌的聚集,进而促进pCF10质粒接合转移的发生。     

Tet抗性铜绿假单胞菌接合转移pHN102方法研究

二亲本杂交实验通常要求受体菌不能携带有与质粒上相同的抗性.本次实验中受体菌铜绿假单胞菌(Pseudo-monas aeruginosa)和重组质粒pHN102都带有四环素(Tc)抗性.考虑到质粒pHN102导入受体菌后至少带有两个Tc抗性基因片段,转移接合子的抗性会增强,所以提高四环素浓度至20μg/mL,并利用pHN102上携带的luxAB发光酶基因标记受体菌筛选转移接合子,并设立对照菌株.通过抽提质粒、琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测,确定pHN102成功转入P.aeruginosa中.转移接合子经4次转接后,质粒仍可以稳定存在且能够稳定表达.P.aeruginosa(pHN102)的发光动力学曲线表明,加入底物20min后,发光强度趋于稳定.经液体培养稀释后进行发光度和活菌数测定,发现二者呈显著的线性关系(r=0.994).图4表2参6     

养殖场空气中E.coli磺胺类抗生素的抗性

本文从养殖场空气中分离出360株E.coli(大肠杆菌,Escherichia coli),应用肉汤微量稀释法和PCR方法,分离磺胺甲唑敏感菌株,检测抗生素抗性和抗性基因.在分离的E.coli中,对磺胺甲唑敏感菌株为95株(26.4%),有48株含有青霉素、氯霉素、四环素、环丙沙星、庆大霉素和利福平的抗性,而47株未含有抗性.其中,7株菌株含有1种抗生素抗性、11株菌株含有2种抗生素抗性、17株菌株含有3种抗生素抗性、6株菌株含有4种抗生素抗性、4株菌株含有5种抗生素抗性、3株菌株含有6种抗生素抗性.对抗生素的耐受能力依次为:氯霉素、青霉素、四环素、环丙沙星、庆大霉素、利福平.磺胺甲唑敏感菌株共检出163个抗性基因,sul1、int1、sul2、Int2、sul3检出数量依次为49、44、29、20和19;含一种、二种、三种、四种、五种抗性基因菌株分别为45、22、10、7、2;但有6株未检测出抗性基因.结果表明养殖场建场时间、抗生素使用、养殖规模等与抗生素抗性菌的抗性呈正相关;养殖场空气中分离的E.coli抗生素抗性较高,且具有多重抗性;抗生素抗性的表现型与其基因型之间出现不完全吻合现象.     

污水处理过程中抗生素抗性基因的检测及其水平转移机制的研究进展

抗生素的滥用使得近年来环境中抗生素频繁检出,同时污水处理厂接纳不同来源的污水后也促进了抗性基因的水平转移.现阶段抗性基因和水平转移的定性、定量检测手段多样化,尤其是水平转移的机制也备受关注.本文介绍了抗生素抗性基因和水平转移的检测方法以及抗性基因水平转移的研究进展,展望了今后的发展方向,以期为抑制抗性基因的扩散提供技术参考.     

信息素调控质粒介导的粪肠球菌耐药基因接合转移机制研究进展

粪肠球菌是一种在自然环境中广泛存在的革兰氏阳性细菌.由于其特殊的耐药机制及高频率的耐药基因转移方式,导致了环境中耐药粪肠球菌的广泛传播,生态安全形势严峻.其中,信息素应答质粒介导的粪肠球菌耐药基因的接合转移是造成粪肠球菌耐药基因快速扩散的重要方式.本文回顾了近些年关于信息素应答质粒接合转移的研究成果,分析总结了接合转移的必要条件、正负调控信息素对接合转移的调节作用,并以携带四环素抗性的质粒pCF10为例简要探讨了接合转移相关基因、蛋白的调控机制,旨在更加全面地揭示粪肠球菌的耐药基因传播机制,为耐药细菌的基因转移机制研究提供参考.     

Influences and mechanisms of nanofullerene on the horizontal transfer of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance genes between E. coli strains

• Sub-inhibitory levels of nC₆₀ promote conjugative transfer of ARGs. • nC₆₀ can induce ROS generation, oxidative stress and SOS response. • nC₆₀ can increase cell membrane permeability and alter gene expression. • Results provide evidence of nC₆₀ promoting antibiotic resistance dissemination. The spread and development of antibiotic resistance globally have led to severe public health problems. It has been shown that some non-antibiotic substances can also promote the diffusion and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Nanofullerene (nC₆₀) is a type of nanomaterial widely used around the world, and some studies have discovered both the biological toxicity and environmental toxicity of nC₆₀. In this study, cellular and molecular biology techniques were employed to investigate the influences of nC₆₀ at sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) on the conjugation of ARGs between the E. coli strains. Compared with the control group, nC₆₀ significantly increased the conjugation rates of ARGs by 1.32‒10.82 folds within the concentration range of 7.03‒1800 mg/L. This study further explored the mechanism of this phenomenon, finding that sub-MICs of nC₆₀ could induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), trigger SOS-response and oxidative stress, affect the expression of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) genes, increase membrane permeability, and thus promote the occurrence of conjugation. This research enriches our understanding of the environmental toxicity of nC₆₀, raises our risk awareness toward nC₆₀, and may promote the more rational employment of nC₆₀ materials.     

Presence,dissemination and removal of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in urban drinking water system: A review

Reviewed the change of ARGs and ARB in full-scale urban drinking water systems. Conventional processes are more promising than BAC process in ARGs removal. Mechanisms of ARGs enrichment and spread in BAC filter and DWDSs are discussed. Raise the need of future research on ARGs and ARB change in building plumbing systems. Antibiotic resistance in aquatic environment has become an important pollution problem worldwide. In recent years, much attention was paid to antibiotic resistance in urban drinking water systems due to its close relationship with the biosafety of drinking water. This review was focused on the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, as well as the presence, dissemination and removal of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the urban drinking water system. First, the presence of ARB and ARGs in the drinking water source was discussed. The variation of concentration of ARGs and ARB during coagulation, sedimentation and filtration process were provided subsequently, in which filtration was proved to be a promising technology to remove ARGs. However, biological activated carbon (BAC) process and drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) could be incubators which promote the antibiotic resistance, due to the enrichment of ARGs and ARB in the biofilms attached to the active carbon and pipe wall. Besides, as for disinfection process, mechanisms of the inactivation of ARB and the promotion of conjugative transfer of ARGs under chlorine, ozone and UV disinfection were described in detail. Here we provide some theoretical support for future researches which aim at antibiotic resistance controlling in drinking water.     

Characteristics of two transferable aminoglycoside resistance plasmids in Escherichia coli isolated from pig and chicken manure

pRKZ3 is a non-conjugative IncQ plasmid, while pKANJ7 is a conjugative IncX plasmid. The optimal mating time of pKANJ7 varied under different conditions. Both of the two transferable ARPs had little impact on the growth of their hosts. A relatively high level of fitness cost was observed for pKANJ7. The fitness cost of ARPs depended on their hosts. Plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have recently become a more prominent concern in the global environment. However, the prevalence of aminoglycoside resistance plasmids in the livestock industry is under reported. In this study, two transferable aminoglycoside resistance plasmids, pRKZ3 and pKANJ7, isolated from pig and chicken manure, were characterized. Results showed that pRKZ3 (8236 bp) is a non-conjugative IncQ plasmid and contains genes encoding for plasmid replication and stabilization (repA, repB and repC), mobilization (mob), and antibiotic resistance (arr-3 and aacA). pKANJ7 (30142 bp) is a conjugative IncX plasmid which codes for a type IV secretion system (T4SS). Conjugative transfer experiments showed that the optimal mating time of pKANJ7 was 8 h under the starvation condition, but the number of tranconjugants increased with time under the nutrient condition. Statistical analysis indicated that the two plasmids had little impact on the growth of their hosts, but a relatively high level of fitness cost due to pKANJ7 was observed. We also found that the fitness cost of plasmids depended on their hosts. Compared with pKANJ7, the relative fitness cost index of pRKZ3 varied within a narrow range during the 10 days of competition. The low level of fitness cost of pRKZ3 might contribute to the persistence of the plasmid in the environment. Our study provides new information for understanding the characterizations of antibiotic resistance plasmids (ARPs) in manure sources and helps to clarify the transfer and persistence of ARPs in the environment following the application of manure.     

Abundance and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in a full-scale anaerobic–aerobic system alternately treating ribostamycin,spiramycin and paromomycin production wastewater

The occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has been intensively investigated for wastewater treatment systems treating single class of antibiotic in recent years. However, the impacts of alternately occurring antibiotics in antibiotic production wastewater on the behavior of ARGs in biological treatment systems were not well understood yet. Herein, techniques including high-capacity quantitative PCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to investigate the behavior of ARGs in an anaerobic–aerobic full-scale system. The system alternately treated three kinds of antibiotic production wastewater including ribostamycin, spiramycin and paromomycin, which referred to stages 1, 2 and 3. The aminoglycoside ARGs (52.1–79.3%) determined using high-capacity quantitative PCR were the most abundant species in all sludge samples of the three stages. The total relative abundances of macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin (MLS) resistance genes and aminoglycoside resistance genes measured using qPCR were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in aerobic sludge than in sewage sludge. However, the comparison of ARGs acquired from three alternate stages revealed that MLS genes and the aminoglycoside ARGs did not vary significantly (P > 0.05) in both aerobic and anaerobic sludge samples. In aerobic sludge, one acetyltransferase gene (aacA4) and the other three nucleotidyltransferase genes (aadB, aadA and aadE) exhibited positive correlations with intI1 (r ² = 0.83–0.94; P < 0.05), implying the significance of horizontal transfer in their proliferation. These results and facts will be helpful to understand the abundance and distribution of ARGs from antibiotic production wastewater treatment systems.

     

Distribution of quinolone and macrolide resistance genes and their co-occurrence with heavy metal resistance genes in vegetable soils with long-term application of manure

The spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has become an increasingly serious global public health issue. This study investigated the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of ARB and ARGs in greenhouse vegetable soils with long-term application of manure. Five typical ARGs, four heavy metal resistance genes (MRGs), and two mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The amount of ARB in manure-improved soil greatly exceeded that in control soil, and the bacterial resistance rate decreased significantly with increases in antibiotic concentrations. In addition, the resistance rate of ARB to enrofloxacin (ENR) was lower than that of tylosin (TYL). Real-time qPCR results showed that long-term application of manure enhanced the relative abundance of ARGs in vegetable soils, and the content and proportion of quinolone resistance genes were higher than those of macrolide resistance genes. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that qepA and qnrS significantly correlated with total and available amounts of Cu and Zn, highlighting that certain heavy metals can influence persistence of ARGs. Integrase gene intI1 correlated significantly with the relative abundance of qepA, qnrS, and ermF, suggesting that intI1 played an important role in the horizontal transfer of ARGs. Furthermore, there was a weakly but not significantly positive correlation between specific detected MRGs and ARGs and MGEs. The results of this study enhance understanding the potential for increasing ARGs in manure-applied soil, assessing ecological risk and reducing the spread of ARGs.

Graphic abstract

     

Elimination of antibiotic resistance genes and control of horizontal transfer risk by UV-based treatment of drinking water: A mini review

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes are in water bodies. UV/chlorination method is better to remove ARGs than UV or chlorination alone. Research on UV/hydrogen peroxide to eliminate ARGs is forthcoming. UV-based photocatalytic processes are effective to degrade ARGs. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been recognized as one of the biggest public health issues of the 21st century. Both ARB and ARGs have been determined in water after treatment with conventional disinfectants. Ultraviolet (UV) technology has been seen growth in application to disinfect the water. However, UV method alone is not adequate to degrade ARGs in water. Researchers are investigating the combination of UV with other oxidants (chlorine, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), peroxymonosulfate (PMS), and photocatalysts) to harness the high reactivity of produced reactive species (Clž·, ClOž·ž, Clž₂·ž⁻, žž·OH, and SOž₄ž·⁻€) in such processes with constituents of cell (e.g., deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and its components) in order to increase the degradation efficiency of ARGs. This paper briefly reviews the current status of different UV-based treatments (UV/chlorination, UV/H₂O₂, UV/PMS, and UV-photocatalysis) to degrade ARGs and to control horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in water. The review also provides discussion on the mechanism of degradation of ARGs and application of q-PCR and gel electrophoresis to obtain insights of the fate of ARGs during UV-based treatment processes.     

Assessment of antibiotic resistance genes in dialysis water treatment processes

• Quantitative global ARGs profile in dialysis water was investigated. • Totally 35 ARGs were found in the dialysis treatment train. • 29 ARGs (highest) were found in carbon filtration effluent. • erm and mtrD-02 occurred in the final effluent. • The effluent was associated with health risks even after RO treatment. Dialysis water is directly related to the safety of hemodialysis patients, thus its quality is generally ensured by a stepwise water purification cascade. To study the effect of water treatment on the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in dialysis water, this study used propidium monoazide (PMA) in conjunction with high throughput quantitative PCR to analyze the diversity and abundance of ARGs found in viable bacteria from water having undergone various water treatment processes. The results indicated the presence of 35 ARGs in the effluents from the different water treatment steps. Twenty-nine ARGs were found in viable bacteria from the effluent following carbon filtration, the highest among all of the treatment processes, and at 6.96 Log (copies/L) the absolute abundance of the cphA gene was the highest. Two resistance genes, erm (36) and mtrD-02, which belong to the resistance categories macrolides-lincosamides-streptogramin B (MLSB) and other/efflux pump, respectively, were detected in the effluent following reverse osmosis treatment. Both of these genes have demonstrated the potential for horizontal gene transfer. These results indicated that the treated effluent from reverse osmosis, the final treatment step in dialysis-water production, was associated with potential health risks.     

Antibiotic resistance genes in manure-amended paddy soils across eastern China: Occurrence and influencing factors

• Manure fertilization resulted in antibiotic residues and increased metal contents. • The tet and sul genes were significantly enhanced with manure fertilization. • Soil physicochemical properties contributed to 12% of the variations in ARGs. • Soil metals and antibiotics co-select for ARGs. Pig manure, rich in antibiotics and metals, is widely applied in paddy fields as a soil conditioner, triggering the proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil. However, comprehensive studies on the effects of manure fertilization on the abundance of ARGs and their influencing factors are still insufficient. Here, pig manure and manure-amended and inorganic-amended soils were collected from 11 rice-cropping regions in eastern China, and the accumulation of antibiotics, metals, and ARGs was assessed simultaneously. The results showed that manure fertilization led to antibiotic residues and increased the metal content (i.e., Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr). Tetracycline and sulfonamide resistance genes (tetM, tetO, sul1, and sul2) were also significantly enhanced with manure fertilization. According to variance partitioning analysis, the most important factors that individually influenced ARGs were soil physicochemical properties, accounting for 12% of the variation. Significant correlations between soil nutrients and ARGs indicated that manure application enhanced the growth of resistant microorganisms by supplying more nutrients. Metals and antibiotics contributed 9% and 5% to the variations in ARGs, respectively. Their co-occurrence also increased the enrichment of ARGs, as their interactions accounted for 2% of the variation in ARGs. Interestingly, Cu was significantly related to most ARGs in the soil (r = 0.26–0.52, p<0.05). Sulfapyridine was significantly related to sul2, and tetracycline resistance genes were positively related to doxycycline. This study highlighted the risks of antibiotic and ARG accumulation with manure fertilization and shed light on the essential influencing factors of ARGs in paddy soils.