Antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in a rural river in Southeast China: Occurrence, seasonal variation and association with the antibiotics

Diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and their relationship with nutrients and land use of the inflow rivers of Taihu Lake

“…The presence of high concentration of antibiotics in water bodies has led to serious public health problems due to microbe’s ability to uptake and promotes resistance to antibiotics. In recent years, a number of studies investigated the ARB and/or ARGs in water environment in China ranging from tap water to surface water and sediments in lakes and rivers ( Xu et al, 2016 ; Yan et al, 2017 ; Zhou et al, 2017 ; Liu et al, 2018 ; Zheng et al, 2018 ; Chen et al, 2020 ; Jiang et al, 2021 ). Particularly, the quantification of ARGs in freshwater environments received more attention recently due to its importance for drinking, transportation, agricultural, and other activities ( Xiong et al, 2015 ; Zheng et al, 2017 ; Huang et al, 2019 ; Jiang et al, 2021 ).…”

“…With the fact that high dense population with high anthropogenic activities surrounds Taihu Lake, water pollution such as excessive algal growth and microbial contaminants cannot be avoided. Previous studies have reported that influx of high nutrients from inflow rivers affected the water quality of Taihu Lake severely, especially from Taige Canal, Chendong River, and Tiaoxi River ( Qin et al, 2007 ; Du et al, 2017 ; Vadde et al, 2018 ; Jiang et al, 2021 ). Besides that, dense population surrounding Taihu Lake also contributes to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance through overuse of antibiotic in the hospital, animal livestock, and agricultural field.…”

“…Many studies have reported the detection of ARGs in Taihu Lake ( Han et al, 2013 ; Yin et al, 2013 ; Zhang S. H. et al, 2015 ; Stange et al, 2019 ) and have evaluated the water quality of some rivers connected to Taihu Lake ( Dai et al, 2013 ; Du et al, 2017 ). However, the studies focusing on the detection of ARB and ARGs in the inflow rivers are scarce ( Zheng et al, 2017 ; Jiang et al, 2021 ). Zheng et al (2017) studied the abundance of ARGs in East Tiaoxi River and Jiang et al (2021) focused on the detection of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in Taige canal.…”

“…However, the studies focusing on the detection of ARB and ARGs in the inflow rivers are scarce ( Zheng et al, 2017 ; Jiang et al, 2021 ). Zheng et al (2017) studied the abundance of ARGs in East Tiaoxi River and Jiang et al (2021) focused on the detection of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in Taige canal. It has been reported that the systematic monitoring of ARGs in rivers in China is still rare and the information on the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of ARGs in rivers and their relationship to the environmental factors is lacking ( Jiang et al, 2021 ).…”

“… Zheng et al (2017) studied the abundance of ARGs in East Tiaoxi River and Jiang et al (2021) focused on the detection of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in Taige canal. It has been reported that the systematic monitoring of ARGs in rivers in China is still rare and the information on the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of ARGs in rivers and their relationship to the environmental factors is lacking ( Jiang et al, 2021 ). Moreover, it appears that most of the previous studies on ARGs focused on the urban rivers and less emphasis were given to the rural rivers which are affected by the agriculture pollution ( Huang et al, 2019 ; Jiang et al, 2021 ).…”