Persistence of antibiotic resistance and plasmid-associated genes in soil following application of sewage sludge and abundance on vegetables at harvest

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 600-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teddie O. Rahube ◽  
Romain Marti ◽  
Andrew Scott ◽  
Yuan-Ching Tien ◽  
Roger Murray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Delay Period ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Vegetable Samples

Sewage sludge recovered from wastewater treatment plants contains antibiotic residues and is rich in antibiotic resistance genes, selected for and enriched in the digestive tracts of human using antibiotics. The use of sewage sludge as a crop fertilizer constitutes a potential route of human exposure to antibiotic resistance genes through consumption of contaminated crops. Several gene targets associated with antibiotic resistance (catA1, catB3, ereA, ereB, erm(B), str(A), str(B), qnrD, sul1, and mphA), mobile genetic elements (int1, mobA, IncW repA, IncP1 groups -α, -β, -δ, -γ, -ε), and bacterial 16S rRNA (rrnS) were quantified by qPCR from soil and vegetable samples obtained from unamended and sludge-amended plots at an experimental field in London, Ontario. The qPCR data reveals an increase in abundance of gene targets in the soil and vegetables samples, indicating that there is potential for additional crop exposure to antibiotic resistance genes carried within sewage sludge following field application. It is therefore advisable to allow an appropriate delay period before harvesting of vegetables for human consumption.

scholarly journals Long-term field application of sewage sludge increases the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in soil

2016 ◽  
Vol 92-93 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinglin Chen ◽  
Xinli An ◽  
Hu Li ◽  
Jianqiang Su ◽  
Yibing Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Term Field

scholarly journals Occurrence of Fluoroquinolones and Sulfonamides Resistance Genes in Wastewater and Sludge at Different Stages of Wastewater Treatment: A Preliminary Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (17) ◽  
pp. 5816
Author(s):  
Damian Rolbiecki ◽  
Monika Harnisz ◽  
Ewa Korzeniewska ◽  
Łukasz Jałowiecki ◽  
Grażyna Płaza
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Standard Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Wastewater Samples

This study identified differences in the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) between wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) processing different proportions of hospital and municipal wastewater as well as various types of industrial wastewater. The influence of treated effluents discharged from WWTPs on the receiving water bodies (rivers) was examined. Genomic DNA was isolated from environmental samples (river water, wastewater and sewage sludge). The presence of genes encoding resistance to sulfonamides (sul1, sul2) and fluoroquinolones (qepA, aac(6′)-Ib-cr) was determined by standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The effect of the sampling season (summer – June, fall – November) was analyzed. Treated wastewater and sewage sludge were significant reservoirs of antibiotic resistance and contained all of the examined ARGs. All wastewater samples contained sul1 and aac(6′)-lb-cr genes, while the qepA and sul2 genes occurred less frequently. These observations suggest that the prevalence of ARGs is determined by the type of processed wastewater. The Warmia and Mazury WWTP was characterized by higher levels of the sul2 gene, which could be attributed to the fact that this WWTP processes agricultural sewage containing animal waste. However, hospital wastewater appears to be the main source of the sul1 gene. The results of this study indicate that WWTPs are significant sources of ARGs, contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance in rivers receiving processed wastewater.

scholarly journals Impact of Manure Fertilization on the Abundance of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Frequency of Detection of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Soil and on Vegetables at Harvest

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (18) ◽  
pp. 5701-5709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Marti ◽  
Andrew Scott ◽  
Yuan-Ching Tien ◽  
Roger Murray ◽  
Lyne Sabourin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Resistance Determinants

ABSTRACTConsumption of vegetables represents a route of direct human exposure to bacteria found in soil. The present study evaluated the complement of bacteria resistant to various antibiotics on vegetables often eaten raw (tomato, cucumber, pepper, carrot, radish, lettuce) and how this might vary with growth in soil fertilized inorganically or with dairy or swine manure. Vegetables were sown into field plots immediately following fertilization and harvested when of marketable quality. Vegetable and soil samples were evaluated for viable antibiotic-resistant bacteria by plate count on Chromocult medium supplemented with antibiotics at clinical breakpoint concentrations. DNA was extracted from soil and vegetables and evaluated by PCR for the presence of 46 gene targets associated with plasmid incompatibility groups, integrons, or antibiotic resistance genes. Soil receiving manure was enriched in antibiotic-resistant bacteria and various antibiotic resistance determinants. There was no coherent corresponding increase in the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria enumerated from any vegetable grown in manure-fertilized soil. Numerous antibiotic resistance determinants were detected in DNA extracted from vegetables grown in unmanured soil. A smaller number of determinants were additionally detected on vegetables grown only in manured and not in unmanured soil. Overall, consumption of raw vegetables represents a route of human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance determinants naturally present in soil. However, the detection of some determinants on vegetables grown only in freshly manured soil reinforces the advisability of pretreating manure through composting or other stabilization processes or mandating offset times between manuring and harvesting vegetables for human consumption.

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