Advances generated in medicine, science, and technology have contributed to a better quality of life in recent years; however, antimicrobial resistance has also benefited from these advances, creating various environmental and health problems. Several determinants may explain the problem of antimicrobial resistance, such as wastewater treatment plants that represent a powerful agent for the promotion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG), and are an important factor in mitigating the problem. This article focuses on reviewing current technologies for ARB and ARG removal treatments, which include disinfection, constructed wetlands, advanced oxidation processes (AOP), anaerobic, aerobic, or combined treatments, and nanomaterial-based treatments. Some of these technologies are highly intensive, such as AOP; however, other technologies require long treatment times or high doses of oxidizing agents. From this review, it can be concluded that treatment technologies must be significantly enhanced before the environmental and heath problems associated with antimicrobial resistance can be effectively solved. In either case, it is necessary to achieve total removal of bacteria and genes to avoid the possibility of regrowth given by the favorable environmental conditions at treatment plant facilities.
The oxidation of five sulfonamide antibiotics by the versatile peroxidase (VP, EC. 1.11.1.16) from Bjerkandera adusta was quantitatively assessed. The biocatalytic activity of the enzyme was studied by assaying different reaction conditions. Conversion levels were higher than 90 % for all five sulfonamide antibiotics in the model reaction system. In addition, the enzyme performance was also studied in treated wastewater effluents, where three sulfonamide antibiotics were oxidized at a higher level (greater than 85 % oxidation) and two were oxidized at a lower level (up to 50 %). The identified reaction products for two antibiotics, sulfasalazine, and sulfamethoxazole, showed higher antimicrobial activity than the parental compounds. Docking analyses exhibited that the reaction products interacted with the catalytic pocket of the dihydropteroate synthase from Escherichia coli, similar to the parental antibiotics. Though the oxidation is carried out at high velocity and conversion rates, the application of VP in the enzymatic oxidation technology of sulfonamide antibiotics must overcome the production of more toxic products.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.