Occurrence and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in the water and sediments of Qingcaosha Reservoir, Shanghai, China

Abstract

Background: Qingcaosha Reservoir is China's largest river impoundment and an important drinking water resource for Shanghai city. Although antibiotics contamination in the reservoir has been reported, little is known about the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, the occurrence and distribution of 12 ARGs and the class 1 integron gene (intI-1) in water and sediments collected from the reservoir were investigated for 1 year. Results: The 12 ARGs were detected in both water and sediment samples, and no significant temporal or spatial variations were observed. Sulfonamide resistance genes were predominant in the reservoir with a detection frequency of 100%. Statistical analysis indicated a positive correlation in relative abundance between some ARGs such as sul1, sul2, and intI-1. Most ARGs were negatively correlated with total nitrogen and positively correlated with chemical oxygen demand and chlorophyll-a. Conclusion: In general, ARGs were found to be prevalent in Qingcaosha Reservoir, among which sulfonamide resistance genes were the most dominant and tetB was the least. intI-1 may facilitate the proliferation and propagation of some ARGs, especially sul1 and sul2. The abundance of ARGs was well correlated with aquatic environmental factors in water, providing potential clues for the control of ARG contamination.

A survey of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in urban wetlands in southwestern Nigeria as a step towards generating prevalence maps of antimicrobial resistance

“…The ampC gene was detected in the AW sediment samples collected November 2014 and January 2015, where all the sequenced ampC-bearing bacteria were isolated from, with absolute abundance (copy number per gram of sediment) of 3.8x10 5 ±2.9x10 4 and 1.3x10 5 ±8.8x10 3 , and normalized abundance relative to the bacterial 16S rRNA gene of 2.1x10 -2 and 1.5x10 -4 respectively. The absolute abundance was similar to what was observed in a river estuary [85] in Shanghai, China. The normalized abundance (3.9x10 -6 to 5x10 -6 ) was 2 to 4 orders of magnitude higher in the Nigerian sediments than in the sediments from the Chinese estuary and 2-6 orders of magnitude higher than in sediments from the Saudi Arabian red sea coast where normalized abundances of 7.5x10 −8 to 9.1x10 −6 were measured [86].…”

Risk assessment of heavy metals in the surface sediment at the drinking water source of the Xiangjiang River in South China

“…As an important component in riverine ecosystems, sediment serves as both a sink and a source of heavy metals [13,14]. Most heavy metals quickly deposit into the sediment after entering rivers, and are much more concentrated in the sediment than in the water body of riverine systems [15,16].…”

Characteristics of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in Qingcaosha Reservoir in Yangtze River Delta, China

“…Compared to the survey on ARGs in Qingcaosha Reservoir in 2016 [16], there is no remarkable abundance of differences that might suggest a dynamic balance of ARGs in this area. But with more sampling sites in Qingcaosha Reservoir in this study, the results can better reflect about more its spatial distribution of antibiotics and ARGs.…”

“…ARG was firstly proposed as an emerging environmental contaminant in 2006 and attracted growing global concern of environments and public health [11]. In recent years, due to the potential risk of ARGs in environment, numerous studies have been performed to assess the prevalence of various ARGs in livestock farms and aquaculture [12], clinical environment [13,14], wastewater treatment plants [15], reservoirs [16] and even the outflow of drinking water treatment plants [17], surface water all over the world including Germany and Australia [18], Europe [8] and China [19][20][21]. Therefore, it is obvious that the aquatic environments played critical roles in the regional and global transmission of ARGs and could serve as an important reservoir of them.…”