Occurrence of integron-associated resistance gene cassettes located on antibiotic resistance plasmids isolated from a wastewater treatment plant

Tennstedt, Thomas; Szczepanowski, Rafael; Braun, Sebastian; Pühler, Alfred; Schlüter, Andreas

doi:10.1016/s0168-6496(03)00164-8

Cited by 205 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…In support of the last hypothesis, class 1 integrons are frequently detected on larger MGEs including insertion sequence common regions, transposons and plasmids (Tennstedt et al, 2003(Tennstedt et al, , 2005Stokes et al, 2006;Toleman et al, 2006a, b;Walsh, 2006) that contain genes encoding other functions. A good example of this is Tn21, a transposon containing a mercury resistance transposon in which a class 1 integron is embedded (Liebert et al, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Influence of industrial contamination on mobile genetic elements: class 1 integron abundance and gene cassette structure in aquatic bacterial communities

et al. 2008

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The acquisition of new genetic material via horizontal gene transfer allows bacteria to rapidly evolve. One key to estimating the contribution of horizontal gene transfer to bacterial evolution is to quantify the abundance of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in bacterial communities under varying degrees of selective pressure. We quantified class 1 integrase (intI1) gene abundance in total community DNA extracted from contaminated and reference riverine and estuarine microhabitats, and in metal-or antibiotic-amended freshwater microcosms. The intI1 gene was more abundant in all contaminant-exposed communities indicating that relative gene transfer potential is higher in these communities. A second key to assessing the contributions of MGEs to bacterial evolution is to examine the structure and function of the MGE-associated gene pool. We determined that the gene cassette pool is a novel and diverse resource available for bacterial acquisition, but that contamination has no discernible effect on cassette richness. Gene cassette profiles were more similar within sites than among sites, yet bacterial community profiles were not, suggesting that selective pressures can shape the structure of the gene cassette pool. Of the 46 sequenced gene cassette products, 37 were novel sequences, while the 9 gene cassettes with similarity to database sequences were primarily to hypothetical proteins. That class 1 integrons are ubiquitous and abundant in environmental bacterial communities indicates that this group of MGEs can play a substantial role in the acquisition of a diverse array of gene cassettes beyond their demonstrated impact in mediating multidrug resistance in clinical bacteria.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Influence of industrial contamination on mobile genetic elements: class 1 integron abundance and gene cassette structure in aquatic bacterial communities

et al. 2008

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“…Consequently, in such environments, lateral gene transfer is promoted and there are opportunities for complex interactions between various mobile elements. These interactions can generate ever more complex mosaic molecules that carry a growing armory of genes encoding resistance to diverse selective agents (229)(230)(231)(232).…”

Section: Selection In Natural Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrons: Past, Present, and Future

Gillings

2014

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

561

472

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SUMMARY Integrons are versatile gene acquisition systems commonly found in bacterial genomes. They are ancient elements that are a hot spot for genomic complexity, generating phenotypic diversity and shaping adaptive responses. In recent times, they have had a major role in the acquisition, expression, and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. Assessing the ongoing threats posed by integrons requires an understanding of their origins and evolutionary history. This review examines the functions and activities of integrons before the antibiotic era. It shows how antibiotic use selected particular integrons from among the environmental pool of these elements, such that integrons carrying resistance genes are now present in the majority of Gram-negative pathogens. Finally, it examines the potential consequences of widespread pollution with the novel integrons that have been assembled via the agency of human antibiotic use and speculates on the potential uses of integrons as platforms for biotechnology.

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“…In addition, some of the plasmids analysed carry heavy metal, quaternary ammonium compound or triphenylmethane dye resistance genes. Moreover, different class 1 integronspecific resistance gene cassettes were identified on plasmids from WWTP bacteria (Tennstedt et al, 2003). A total of 22 different resistance genes and 27 different integron-specific resistance gene cassettes were identified on plasmids harboured by bacteria of activated sludge and the WWTP's final effluents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of 140 clinically relevant antibiotic-resistance genes in the plasmid metagenome of wastewater treatment plant bacteria showing reduced susceptibility to selected antibiotics

et al. 2009

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To detect plasmid-borne antibiotic-resistance genes in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) bacteria, 192 resistance-gene-specific PCR primer pairs were designed and synthesized. Subsequent PCR analyses on total plasmid DNA preparations obtained from bacteria of activated sludge or the WWTP's final effluents led to the identification of, respectively, 140 and 123 different resistance-gene-specific amplicons. The genes detected included aminoglycoside, blactam, chloramphenicol, fluoroquinolone, macrolide, rifampicin, tetracycline, trimethoprim and sulfonamide resistance genes as well as multidrug efflux and small multidrug resistance genes. Some of these genes were only recently described from clinical isolates, demonstrating genetic exchange between clinical and WWTP bacteria. Sequencing of selected resistance-genespecific amplicons confirmed their identity or revealed that the amplicon nucleotide sequence is very similar to a gene closely related to the reference gene used for primer design. These results demonstrate that WWTP bacteria are a reservoir for various resistance genes. Moreover, detection of about 64 % of the 192 reference resistance genes in bacteria obtained from the WWTP's final effluents indicates that these resistance determinants might be further disseminated in habitats downstream of the sewage plant.

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Occurrence of integron-associated resistance gene cassettes located on antibiotic resistance plasmids isolated from a wastewater treatment plant

Cited by 205 publications

References 60 publications

Influence of industrial contamination on mobile genetic elements: class 1 integron abundance and gene cassette structure in aquatic bacterial communities

Influence of industrial contamination on mobile genetic elements: class 1 integron abundance and gene cassette structure in aquatic bacterial communities

Integrons: Past, Present, and Future

Detection of 140 clinically relevant antibiotic-resistance genes in the plasmid metagenome of wastewater treatment plant bacteria showing reduced susceptibility to selected antibiotics

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