Removal of antibiotic-resistant genes during drinking water treatment: A review

Once contaminate the drinking water source, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) will propagate in drinking water systems and pose a serious risk to human health. Therefore, the drinking water treatment processes (DWTPs) are critical to manage the risks posed by ARGs. This study summarizes the prevalence of ARGs in raw water sources and treated drinking water worldwide. In addition, the removal efficiency of ARGs and related mechanisms by different DWTPs are reviewed. Abiotic and biotic factors that affect ARGs elimination are also discussed. The data on presence of ARGs in drinking water help come to the conclusion that ARGs pollution is prevalent and deserves a high priority. Generally, DWTPs indeed achieve ARGs removal, but some biological treatment processes such as biological activated carbon filtration may promote antibiotic resistance due to the enrichment of ARGs in the biofilm. The finding that disinfection and membrane filtration are superior to other DWTPs adds weight to the advice that DWTPs should adopt multiple disinfection barriers, as well as keep sufficient chlorine residuals to inhibit re-growth of ARGs during subsequent distribution. Mechanistically, DWTPs obtain direct and inderect ARGs reduction through DNA damage and interception of host bacterias of ARGs. Thus, escaping of intracellular ARGs to extracellular environment, induced by DWTPs, should be advoided. This review provides the theoretical support for developping efficient reduction technologies of ARGs. Future study should focus on ARGs controlling in terms of transmissibility or persistence through DWTPs due to their biological related nature and ubiquitous presence of biofilm in the treatment unit.     

稻田土壤氧化亚氮产生潜势、反硝化功能基因丰度和群落结构的垂向分布

土壤中氧化亚氮（N₂O）的释放量占全球N₂O释放总量的60%.其中，稻田土壤是N₂O最主要的释放源.反硝化过程是稻田土壤N₂O生成的主要微生物过程之一.本研究选取广东韶关稻田垂向土壤（0~100 cm）为研究对象，通过乙炔抑制剂法测定了N₂O产生潜势和反硝化潜势，并利用针对特异性功能基因的实时荧光定量和高通量测序技术分别分析反硝化功能基因丰度和反硝化微生物群落结构.结果显示：0~10 cm深度的土壤样品N₂O产生潜势最高，可达（0.020±0.0035）μg·g^-1·h^-1.反硝化功能基因中，nirK基因的丰度峰值（（1.51±0.0015）×10⁸ copies·g^-1）出现在0~10 cm深度，而nosZ和nirS基因的丰度峰值（（4.29±0.0015）×10⁷ copies·g^-1和（8.86±0.0010）×10⁷ copies·g^-1）均出现在10~20 cm深度.稻田垂向土壤中N₂O产生潜势和相关的反硝化功能基因（nosZ、nirK和nirS）丰度均随土壤深度的增加而逐渐降低.其中在所有深度的土壤样品中nirK基因的丰度均高于nirS.基于nirK基因的高通量测序结果发现慢生根瘤菌（Bradyrhizobium）的相对丰度最高（44.06%±6.14%，n=6）.相关性分析表明，稻田土壤中N₂O产生潜势与环境因子（TN、TC和含水率）、反硝化功能基因丰度以及慢生根瘤菌（Bradyrhizobium），罗河杆菌属（Rhodanobacter）和亚硝化螺菌属（Nitrosospira）的相对丰度呈正相关.上述结果表明稻田土壤中环境因子和反硝化功能基因丰度影响了N₂O产生潜势的垂向分布.     

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.     

新疆罗布泊外围地区极端环境嗜碱放线菌生物学特性及活性物质筛选

2006～2007年从新疆罗布泊外嗣地区的泥土样品中分离了117株放线菌,初步筛选后对其中47株嗜碱放线菌进行了形态学鉴定,不同生长条件(pH值,盐NaCl、KCl、MgCl_2,碱性物质Na_2 CO_3、K_2CO_3、Mg_2CO_3、NaOH、KOH,温度)对菌株生长的影响,拮抗性、产酶活性检测及菌株LA4的分子进化鉴定等研究.结果发现,47株放线菌的15%属于诺卡氏菌属,70%属于链霉菌属,10%属于游动放线菌属,其中嗜碱链霉菌属占优势.在pH 7～11范围内,47株嗜碱放线菌均能生长.生长率为92%～95%.NaCl、KCl、MgCl,对嗜碱放线菌均具有抑制作用,NaCl、KCl的抑制作用高于MgCl_2,NaCl、KCl浓度超过10%时而MgCl_2 浓度超过15%时嗜碱放线菌完全停止生长.47株嗜碱放线菌对Na_2CO_3、K_2CO_3、MgCO_3、KOH、NaOH等碱性物质没有选择性,生长良好.47株嗜碱放线菌的最适生长温度为28～30℃.超过55℃后均不能生长.从47株嗜碱放线菌中筛选出了30株具有抗菌活性的菌株,其中对大肠杆菌有抑制作用的有11株,占36.7%,对金黄色葡萄球菌有抑制作用的有20株,占66.7%,对枯草杆菌有抑制作用的有16株,占53.3%;其中4株嗜碱放线菌LA4、LA24、LA33和LA19对3种指示菌均表现出抑制作用.在47株嗜碱放线菌中,74%具有淀粉酶活性,81%具有纤维素酶活性,43%具有蛋白酶活性,49%具有脂肪酶活性.通过分子鉴定,发现LA4为链霉菌中尚未报道的一个新亚种,其16S序列GenBank登录号为FJ182229.本研究结果表明新疆罗布泊外围地区存在大量的产纤维素酶、淀粉酶的嗜碱放线菌,并且潜藏着新的放线菌资源,为该地区嗜碱放线菌的种质资源开发和新药筛选有效菌源提供了参考.图5表4参20     

The Harm Principle and Genetically Modified Food

It is suggested that the Harm Principle can be viewedas the moral basis on which genetically modified (GM) food iscurrently regulated. It is then argued (a) that the concept ofharm cannot be specified in such a manner as to render the HarmPrinciple a plausible political principle, so this principlecannot be used to justify existing regulation; and (b) that evenif the Harm Principle were a plausible political principle, itcould not be used alone in the regulation of GM food, since itdoes not express a concern for the expected benefits of suchfood.     

Predicting the mating system from phenotypic correlations between life-history and sperm quality traits in the Alpine whitefish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coregonus zugensis</Emphasis>

The mating behavior and reproductive strategies of Alpine whitefish like Coregonus zugensis (Nüsslin) are poorly understood, probably because they spawn in deep water where direct observations are difficult. In this study, we interpret life-history and sperm quality traits of fish that we caught from their spawning place. We found that males invest heavily into gonadal tissue (up to 5.6% of their body weight), which is, in comparison to other fish, consistent with external fertilization, distinct pairing and moderate to high communal spawning, or no pairing and low to moderate communal spawning. Sperm competition theory and recent experimental studies on other salmonids predict that males optimize ejaculate characteristics in relation to the costs of sperm and the level of competition they have to expect: dominant males are predicted to invest less into ejaculate quality and to have slower spermatozoa than subdominant males. We found that spermatozoa of older males are slower than those of younger males. Moreover, older males have larger breeding tubercles, a secondary sexual trait that has, in some previous studies, been found to be linked to good condition and to good genetic quality. Our results suggest that C. zugensis has age-linked reproductive strategies, that multimale spawning is common, i.e., that sperm competition plays a significant role, and that older males are on average dominant over younger males at the spawning place.     

九孔鲍肠道及其养殖水体中异养细菌抗药性研究

为了解鲍鱼养殖环境中异养细菌的抗药性,对自广东汕尾粤顺鲍鱼养殖场九孔鲍养殖环境及其肠道中的异养细菌进行了分离鉴定,并对所分离鉴定的菌株进行了四环素等16种抗生素的抗药性试验、结果表明,鲍鱼养殖水体的异养细菌主要由鞘氨醇单胞Sphingomonas paucimobilis、巴斯德氏菌属Pasteurella sp、莫拉氏菌属Moraxella sp、假单胞菌属Pseudomonas sp、弧菌属Vibrio minicus等9种组成;鲍鱼消化道异养细菌类群菌株则由鞘氨醇单胞菌属Sphingomonas sp、气单胞菌属Aeromonas sp、黄杆菌属Flavobdcterium sp等7种组成。抗药性试验揭示,大多数异养菌菌株对四环素、青霉素G、卡那霉素、丁胺卡那霉素和新生霉素均产生了抗药性,而对氟哌酸、红霉素、氯霉素以及环丙沙星等的抗药性则相对较弱。     

Abundance and removal of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the rearing environments of intensive shrimp aquaculture in South China

Although research regarding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquaculture environments has gained increasing scientific interest, further studies are required to understand the abundances and removal mechanisms of ARGs during the entire rearing period of shrimp aquaculture. Thus, in this study, abundances, distributions and removal rates of ARGs in different environmental compartments of intensive shrimp farms in South China were investigated during the entire rearing period. The results indicated that sul1 and cmlA were the predominant ARGs in the water and sediment samples. Additionally, the total abundance of ARGs was higher in shrimp pond water than in the source water and farm effluent. Moreover, sediment samples indicated significantly higher ARG abundances than water samples from the shrimp ponds (P?<?0.05). Environmental factors were found to significantly affect the distribution of ARGs in shrimp rearing environments. Furthermore, stable ponds aided the removal of ARGs from shrimp pond water. This study accounted for temporal variations in ARG abundances as well as removal of ARGs in different environmental compartments during the entire shrimp rearing period. However, additional research is required to optimize the water treatment process for removal of ARGs from the aquaculture.     

山东省主要河流中抗生素污染组成及空间分布特征

采用固相萃取-液相色谱/串联质谱法研究了山东省境内四大流域主要河流中抗生素污染组成及空间分布特征,涉及我国用量最大的6类共20种抗生素。结果表明:20种抗生素均有检出,且大环内酯类、喹诺酮类和四环素类抗生素整体检出浓度较高。就流域而言,半岛诸河流域抗生素污染较小,平均总质量浓度61.4 ng/L;海河流域、小清河流域和淮河流域相对较为严重,平均总质量浓度分别为232、175、118 ng/L。抗生素空间分布呈现一定的规律,检出浓度较高的点位主要集中在人口密集区下游,抗生素污染与周边生活污水、养殖企业废水和城市污水处理厂排水密切相关,而且抗生素组成可从一定程度上反映出污染来源。     

Diversity of antibiotic resistance genes and encoding ribosomal protection proteins gene in livestock waste polluted environment

The rapid development and increase of antibiotic resistance are global phenomena resulting from the extensive use of antibiotics in human clinics and animal feeding operations. Antibiotics can promote the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which can be transferred horizontally to humans and animals through water and the food chain. In this study, the presence and abundance of ARGs in livestock waste was monitored by quantitative PCR. A diverse set of bacteria and tetracycline resistance genes encoding ribosomal protection proteins (RPPs) from three livestock farms and a river were analyzed through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The abundance of sul(I) was 10³ to 10⁵ orders of magnitude higher than that of sul(II). Among 11 tet-ARGs, the most abundant was tet(O). The results regarding bacterial diversity indicated that the presence of antibiotics might have an evident impact on bacterial diversity at every site, particularly at the investigated swine producer. The effect of livestock waste on the bacterial diversity of soil was stronger than that of water. Furthermore, a sequencing analysis showed that tet(M) exhibited two genotypes, while the other RPPs-encoding genes exhibited at least three genotypes. This study showed that various ARGs and RPPs-encoding genes are particularly widespread among livestock.