Detection of fecal bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in drinking water collected from three First Nations communities in Manitoba, Canada

Abstract

This study analyzed the microbiological quality of drinking and source water from three First Nations communities in Manitoba, Canada that vary with respect to the source, storage and distribution of drinking water. Community A relies on an aquifer and Community B on a lake as source water to their water treatment plants. Community C does not have a water treatment plant and uses well water. Quantification of free residual chlorine and fecal bacterial (E. coli and coliforms), as well as detection of antibiotic resistance genes (sul, ampC, tet(A), mecA, vanA, blaSHV, blaTEM, blaCTX-M, blaOXA-1, blaCYM-2, blaKPC, blaOXA-48, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaGES and blaIMP) was carried out. While water treatment plants were found to be working properly, as post-treatment water did not contain E. coli or coliforms, once water entered the distribution system, a decline in the chlorine concentration with a concomitant increase in bacterial counts was observed. In particular, water samples from cisterns not only contained high number of E. coli and coliforms, but were also found to contain antibiotic resistance genes. This work shows that proper maintenance of the distribution and storage systems in First Nations communities is essential in order to provide access to clean and safe drinking water.

Structure of Bacterial Community with Resistance to Antibiotics in Aquatic Environments. A Systematic Review

“…Regarding the presence of the types of ARGs in artificial waters, the differences according to geographical location are notable. In Europe, North America and Latin America, the most prevalent ARGs are the bla genes, with approximate prevalence values of 40%, 34% and 89%, respectively [ 11 , 15 , 38 , 40 , 44 , 47 , 59 , 60 , 72 , 76 ]. In Africa, the sul genes (67%) [ 41 ], and in Asia the tet genes, are the most reported (30%) [ 32 , 35 , 48 , 65 , 70 , 71 ] ( Figure 6 ).…”

“…In relation to the reports of bla genes in artificial waters, in North America, bla CTX , bla GES , bla NDM , bla VIM , bla SHV , bla OXA , bla MOX , bla KPC , bla IMP and bla TEM genes were identified in WWTP effluents [ 76 ], and in Europe, the bla VIM gene (12%) was the most prevalent [ 11 , 48 ]. In Asia, a higher abundance of bla TEM (33%) was detected, followed by bla KPC (22%) in water samples from WWTP and aquaculture [ 36 , 38 , 73 ], while in Latin American countries, bla CTX (25%) and bla TEM (25%) were the most prevalent [ 15 , 43 , 44 , 61 ].…”

“…According to the articles reviewed, several authors suggest that the diversity of anti-biotic-resistant bacteria in aquatic habitats can be influenced by anthropogenic contamination. In wastewater and in WWTP, bacteria are exposed to multiple antibiotics, these being released into treated water until it reaches natural water systems, facilitating the spread of antibiotic resistance [ 29 , 56 , 76 ]. The uncontrolled discharge of untreated municipal waste can contribute to an overall increase in the abundance and diversity of ARGs in the environment, including those that confer resistance to last-resort antibiotics [ 18 ].…”

“…Mi et al [ 76 ] showed that the proper maintenance of distribution and storage systems in communities is essential to provide access to clean drinking water. The authors showed that the WWTPs were working properly in several major cities in European countries, as the after-treatment water did not contain E. coli or coliforms.…”

Targeting current and future threats: recent methodological trends in environmental antimicrobial resistance research and their relationships to risk assessment

“…The discrepancy was due to a shortfall in the stormwater compartment. More specifically, the groundwater, [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] livestock manure, [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55] drinking water, [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67]…”