Multidrug-resistant bacteria and microbial communities in a river estuary with fragmented suburban waste management

Ho, Jia Yee; Jong, M.L. de; Acharya, Kishor; Liew, Sylvia Sue Xian; Smith, Daniel R.; Noor, Zainura Zainon; Goodson, M.L.; Werner, David; Graham, David W.; Eswaran, Jeyanthy

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124687

Cited by 37 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Altogether, the presence of ESBL and carbapenemase-producing pathogens and corresponding ARGs in the Lebanon estuaries raise concerns for public health, as in case of infection with these resistant bacteria, physicians have to rely on drug combinations and last-resort antibiotics 47 . Similar to our findings, multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales, namely Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, were isolated from the human-impacted Melayu river estuary in Malaysia with antibiotic resistance attaining 100% to antibiotics such as cefotaxime 48 . Inversely, resistant Enterobacterales in the urbanized San Francisco Bay were absent from the near-shore sediments suggesting that urbanized estuaries may not constitute a major human exposure hazard when secondary and tertiary treatment operations and control measures for all wastewaters that drain into the studied environment are implemented 49 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Seasonal resistome diversity and dissemination of WHO priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens in Lebanese estuaries

Hobeika

Gaschet

Ploy

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Anthropogenic activities are demonstrated to be the key drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dissemination in the environment. Lebanese rivers that lead to the Mediterranean Sea were sampled at estuaries sites, under high anthropogenic pressure, in spring 2017 and winter 2018 to study seasonal variation of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARBs) and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Methods: A combined approach using culture techniques and high throughput qPCR identified hotspots for antimicrobial resistance and anthropogenic pressure in particular locations along the Lebanese coast. Results: Multi-resistant Gram-negative (Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas spp) and Gram-positive bacterial pathogens were isolated. A high abundance of certain ARGs (vanB, blaBIC-1, blaGES, tetM, and mcr-1) was detected in 5 Lebanese estuaries. The relative abundance of ARGs was highest in winter and areas with high anthropogenic activities and population growth with an influx of refugees. Conclusion: Qualitative analysis of ARB and the analysis of the Lebanese estuaries resistome revealed critical levels of contamination with pathogenic bacteria and provided significant information about the spread of ARGs in anthropogenically impacted estuaries.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Seasonal resistome diversity and dissemination of WHO priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens in Lebanese estuaries

Hobeika

Gaschet

Ploy

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…Nevertheless, and perhaps not surprisingly given the size of the Volta River, the diffuse inputs, and the fact that it was the dry season with limited runoff, when normalized by total 16S gene copy numbers, overall ARG concentrations were relatively low (Figure 2B), with other researchers often observing much higher normalized ARG concentrations in rivers in Thailand, Bolivia, India, China, and Finland impacted by wastewater (see Agramont et al, 2020; Devarajan et al, 2016; Thongsamer et al, 2021) or aquaculture facilities (see Gao et al, 2018; Muziasari et al, 2014; Xiong et al, 2015). Given the number of small and large villages/towns along the Volta River, it is possible that fecal contamination is a source of ARGs, which is thought to be a primary driver of ARG contamination in freshwater globally (Agramont et al, 2020; Almakki et al, 2019; Devarajan et al, 2016; Ho et al, 2021; Thongsamer et al, 2021; Vikesland et al, 2019). Because it was the dry season, however, it is also possible that overland fecal contamination was limited.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, insufficient and failing infrastructure, including sanitation infrastructure, remains a major obstacle to achieving this goal, a problem shared by many other low‐ and medium‐income countries (Asem‐Hiablie et al, 2013; Egbi et al, 2020; Gwenzi & Chaukura, 2018). Rural communities in Ghana rely on a patchwork of latrines, household septic systems, and underperforming sewage‐treatment facilities for the treatment of human waste (Egbi et al, 2020), all serving as potential sources of antibiotic‐resistant microorganisms and antibiotic‐resistance genes (ARGs; Agramont et al, 2020; Ho et al, 2021; Thongsamer et al, 2021; Vikesland et al, 2019). Hormones (Aneck‐Hahn et al, 2009) and pharmaceuticals (see review by Fekadu et al, 2019) also end up in surface water.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Lower Volta River, Ghana, West Africa: The Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Urban Development Nexus

Chester

Gordon

Hartmann

et al. 2022

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments across all continents and are relatively well known in the developed world. However, few studies have investigated their presence and biological effects in low‐ and middle‐income countries. We provide a survey of CEC presence in the Volta River, Ghana, and examine the microbial consequences of anthropogenic activities along this economically and ecologically important African river. Water and sediment samples were taken by boat or from shore at 14 sites spanning 118 km of river course from the Volta estuary to the Akosombo dam. Sample extracts were prepared for targeted analysis of antimicrobial CECs, N,N‐diethyl‐meta‐toluamide, and per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS; water only). Concurrent samples were extracted to characterize the microbial community and antibiotic‐resistant genes (ARGs). Antibiotics and PFAS (PFAS, 2–20 ng/L) were found in all water samples; however, their concentrations were usually in the low nanograms per liter range and lower than reported for other African, European, and North American studies. N,N‐Diethyl‐meta‐toluamide was present in all samples. The number of different genes detected (between one and 10) and total ARG concentrations varied in both water (9.1 × 10−6 to 8.2 × 10−3) and sediment (2.2 × 10−4 to 5.3 × 10−2), with increases in gene variety at sites linked to urban development, sand mining, agriculture, and shellfish processing. Total ARG concentration spikes in sediment samples were associated with agriculture. No correlations between water quality parameters, CEC presence, and/or ARGs were noted. The presence of CECs in the lower Volta River highlights their global reach. The overall low concentrations of CECs detected is encouraging and, coupled with mitigation measures, can stymie future CEC pollution in the Volta River. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:369–381. © 2021 SETAC

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“…Genes associated with MDR have been found in several metagenomic studies of surface water [20][21][22], including wastewater-impacted rivers [23]. In addition, MDR organisms have been isolated from both clinical [24][25][26] and municipal wastewater effluent [27] and from receiving water bodies [28,29]. This has led to serious concerns about the cycling of MDR between clinical settings, the human microbiome, and the water system, but the potential effects of CSOs have not been fully explored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in an Urbanized River: A Case Study of the Potential Risks from Combined Sewage Overflows

Balasa

Levengood

Battistelli

et al. 2021

Water

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Wastewater contamination and urbanization contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments. This is a particular concern in areas receiving chronic pollution of untreated waste via combined sewer overflow (CSO) events. The goal of this study was to expand knowledge of CSO impacts, with a specific focus on multidrug resistance. We sampled a CSO-impacted segment of the James River (Virginia, USA) during both clear weather and an active overflow event and compared it to an unimpacted upstream site. Bacteria resistant to ampicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline were isolated from all samples. Ampicillin resistance was particularly abundant, especially during the CSO event, so these isolates were studied further using disk susceptibility tests to assess multidrug resistance. During a CSO overflow event, 82% of these isolates were resistant to five or more antibiotics, and 44% were resistant to seven or more. The latter statistic contrasts starkly with the upstream reference site, where only 4% of isolates displayed resistance to more than seven antibiotics. DNA sequencing (16S rRNA gene) revealed that ~35% of our isolates were opportunistic pathogens, comprised primarily of the genera Stenotrophomonas, Pseudomonas, and Chryseobacterium. Together, these results demonstrate that CSOs can be a significant source of viable clinically-relevant bacteria to the natural environment and that multidrug resistance is an important understudied component of the environmental spread of antibiotic resistance.

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Multidrug-resistant bacteria and microbial communities in a river estuary with fragmented suburban waste management

Cited by 37 publications

References 47 publications

Seasonal resistome diversity and dissemination of WHO priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens in Lebanese estuaries

Seasonal resistome diversity and dissemination of WHO priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens in Lebanese estuaries

Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Lower Volta River, Ghana, West Africa: The Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Urban Development Nexus

Diversity of Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in an Urbanized River: A Case Study of the Potential Risks from Combined Sewage Overflows

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