TY - JOUR
T1 - Spatiotemporal profiling of antibiotics and resistance genes in a river catchment
T2 - Human population as the main driver of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance gene presence in the environment
AU - Elder, Felicity C.T.
AU - Proctor, Kathryn
AU - Barden, Ruth
AU - Gaze, William H.
AU - Snape, Jason
AU - Feil, Edward J.
AU - Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2021/9/15
Y1 - 2021/9/15
N2 - Studies to understand the role wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play in the dissemination of antibiotics (ABs), and in the emergence of antibiotic resistance (ABR), play an important role in tackling this global crisis. Here we describe the abundance and distribution of 16 ABs, and 4 corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), sampled from the influent to five WWTPs within a single river catchment. We consider four classes of antibiotics: fluroquinolones, macrolides, sulfamethoxazole and chloramphenicol, as well the corresponding antibiotic resistance genes qnrS, ermB, sul1 and catA. All antibiotics, apart from four fluroquinolones (besifloxacin, lomefloxacin, ulifloxacin, prulifloxacin), were detected within all influent wastewater from the 5 cities (1 city = 1 WWTP), as were the corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Strong correlations were observed between the daily loads of ABs and ARGs versus the size of the population served by each WWTP, as well as between AB and ARG loads at a single site. The efficiency of ABs and ARGs removal by the WWTPs varied according to site (and treatment process utilized) and target, although strong correlations were maintained between the population size served by WWTPs and daily loads of discharged ABs and ARGs into the environment. We therefore conclude that population size is the main determinant of the magnitude of AB and ARG burden in the environment.
AB - Studies to understand the role wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play in the dissemination of antibiotics (ABs), and in the emergence of antibiotic resistance (ABR), play an important role in tackling this global crisis. Here we describe the abundance and distribution of 16 ABs, and 4 corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), sampled from the influent to five WWTPs within a single river catchment. We consider four classes of antibiotics: fluroquinolones, macrolides, sulfamethoxazole and chloramphenicol, as well the corresponding antibiotic resistance genes qnrS, ermB, sul1 and catA. All antibiotics, apart from four fluroquinolones (besifloxacin, lomefloxacin, ulifloxacin, prulifloxacin), were detected within all influent wastewater from the 5 cities (1 city = 1 WWTP), as were the corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Strong correlations were observed between the daily loads of ABs and ARGs versus the size of the population served by each WWTP, as well as between AB and ARG loads at a single site. The efficiency of ABs and ARGs removal by the WWTPs varied according to site (and treatment process utilized) and target, although strong correlations were maintained between the population size served by WWTPs and daily loads of discharged ABs and ARGs into the environment. We therefore conclude that population size is the main determinant of the magnitude of AB and ARG burden in the environment.
KW - AMR
KW - Environment
KW - Fluoroquinolones
KW - Resistance genes
KW - Wastewater
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112784702&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117533
DO - 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117533
M3 - Article
C2 - 34416649
AN - SCOPUS:85112784702
SN - 0043-1354
VL - 203
JO - Water research
JF - Water research
M1 - 117533
ER -