Occurrence of integrons and antibiotic resistance genes in cryoconite and ice of Svalbard, Greenland, and the Caucasus glaciers

Makowska, Nicoletta; Zawierucha, Krzysztof; Nadobna, Paulina; Piątek-Bajan, Kinga; Krajewska, Anna; Szwedyk, Jagoda; Iwasieczko, Patryk; Mokracka, Joanna; Koczura, Ryszard

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137022

Cited by 29 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The transposon, conferring resistance to several antibiotics and chromate, included a class 1 integron, which was considered as the first example of its kind that originated in the “pre-antibiotic” era. More recently, Makowska et al ( 2020 ) detected the occurrence of resistance integrons in the genomes of bacteria isolated and cultured from cryoconite holes and supraglacial ice collected in two Arctic- and two Caucasian glaciers.…”

Section: Antibiotic-resistance Genes In the Cryospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change, melting cryosphere and frozen pathogens: Should we worry…?

Yarzábal

Salazar

Batista-García

2021

Environmental Sustainability

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Permanently frozen environments (glaciers, permafrost) are considered as natural reservoirs of huge amounts of microorganisms, mostly dormant, including human pathogens. Due to global warming, which increases the rate of ice-melting, approximately 4 × 10 21 of these microorganisms are released annually from their frozen confinement and enter natural ecosystems, in close proximity to human settlements. Some years ago, the hypothesis was put forward that this massive release of potentially-pathogenic microbes—many of which disappeared from the face of the Earth thousands and even millions of years ago—could give rise to epidemics. The recent anthrax outbreaks that occurred in Siberia, and the presence of bacterial and viral pathogens in glaciers worldwide, seem to confirm this hypothesis. In that context, the present review summarizes the currently available scientific evidence that allows us to imagine a near future in which epidemic outbreaks, similar to the abovementioned, could occur as a consequence of the resurrection and release of microbes from glaciers and permafrost. Supplementary Information The online version of this article (10.1007/s42398-021-00184-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Antibiotic-resistance Genes In the Cryospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change, melting cryosphere and frozen pathogens: Should we worry…?

Yarzábal

Salazar

Batista-García

2021

Environmental Sustainability

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“…Multi‐drug antimicrobial resistance gene profiles and resistance genes to antimicrobials are considered to be of very high importance to human medicine (e.g., extended‐spectrum cephalosporins [ bla CTX‐M ] and carbapenems [ bla NDM‐1 ]) have been detected in high Arctic soil samples in Norway (McCann et al, 2019). Similarly, samples collected from glacial samples in Greenland and Norway contained bacteria resistant to beta‐lactams (including extended‐spectrum cephalosporins), fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines and glycopeptides (Makowska et al, 2020). In addition, one study investigated the occurrence and characterization of faecal E. coli isolated from wild high Arctic reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus ) using whole‐genome sequencing approaches (Sunde et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The antimicrobial resistance and virulence described in this study were frequently mediated by plasmids (Sunde et al, 2021). Migratory birds have been suggested to play a role in the spread of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in these remote arctic and high arctic environments (Makowska et al, 2020; McCann et al, 2019; Sunde et al, 2021). Thus, migratory birds could also be considered a potential source of the antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes detected in the ringed seals described in the current study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella species and potentially pathogenic Escherichia coli in free‐living seals of Canadian Atlantic and eastern Arctic waters

Saab,

Vanier,

Sudlovenick

et al. 2023

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Seal populations in Canadian waters provide sustenance to coastal communities. There is potential for pathogenic and/or antimicrobial‐resistant bacteria to transfer to humans through inadvertent faecal contamination of seal products. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence and potential antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes in faecal samples collected from grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and from ringed seals (Pusa hispida) in Frobisher Bay and Eclipse Sound, Nunavut, Canada. Grey seals were harvested during commercial hunts or during scientific sampling; ringed seals were collected by Inuit hunters during subsistence harvests. Virulence genes defining pathogenic E. coli were identified by PCR, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on recovered isolates. In grey seals, E. coli was detected in 34/44 (77%) samples, and pathogenic E. coli (extraintestinal E. coli [ExPEC], enteropathogenic E. coli [EPEC] or ExPEC/EPEC) was detected in 13/44 (29%) samples. Non‐susceptibility to beta‐lactams and quinolones was observed in isolates from 18 grey seals. In ringed seals from Frobisher Bay, E. coli was detected in 4/45 (9%) samples; neither virulence genes nor antimicrobial resistance was detected in these isolates. In ringed seals from Eclipse Sound, E. coli was detected in 8/50 (16%) samples and pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC and ExPEC/EPEC) in 5/50 (10%) samples. One seal from Eclipse Sound had an E. coli isolate resistant to beta‐lactams. A monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium was recovered from 8/50 (16%) seals from Eclipse Sound. All Salmonella isolates were resistant to ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole and tetracycline. L. monocytogenes was not detected in any sample. These findings suggest that seals may act as important sentinel species and as reservoirs or vectors for antimicrobial‐resistant and virulent E. coli and Salmonella species. Further characterization of these isolates would provide additional insights into the source and spread of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in these populations of free‐living seals.

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“…Understudied high-latitude areas include (but are not limited to) the Russian Arctic, most of Antarctica, and northwestern and eastern Greenland. A variety of temperate regions have also been overlooked, including subranges of the Rocky Mountains in North America (e.g., Teton Range, USA), the Caucasus Mountains in eastern Europe (e.g., Makowska et al, 2020), and similar localities. Rapidly receding tropical glaciers are also urgent targets for ecological studies (Veettil and Kamp, 2019;Zawierucha and Shain, 2019).…”

Section: Understudied Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological albedo reduction on ice sheets, glaciers, and snowfields

Hotaling¹,

Lutz²,

Dial³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The global cryosphere, Earth's frozen water, is in precipitous decline. The ongoing and predicted impacts of cryosphere loss are diverse, ranging from disappearance of entire biomes to crises of water availability. Covering approximately one-fifth of the Earth, mass loss from the terrestrial cryosphere is driven primarily by a warming atmosphere but reductions in albedo (the proportion of reflected light) also contribute by increasing absorption of solar radiation. In addition to dust and other abiotic impurities, biological communities substantially reduce albedo worldwide. In this review, we provide a global synthesis of biological albedo reduction (BAR) in terrestrial snow and ice ecosystems. We first focus on known drivers-algal blooms and cryoconite (granular sediment on the ice that includes both mineral and biological material)-as they account for much of the biological albedo variability in snow and ice habitats. We then consider an array of potential drivers of BAR whose impacts may be overlooked, such as arthropod deposition, resident organisms (e.g., dark-bodied glacier ice worms), and larger vertebrates, including humans, that visit the cryosphere. We consider both primary (e.g., BAR due to the presence of pigmented algal cells) and indirect (e.g., nutrient addition from arthropod deposition) effects, as well as interactions among biological groups (e.g., birds feeding on ice worms). Collectively, we highlight that in many cases, overlooked drivers and interactions among factors have considerable potential to alter BAR, perhaps rivaling the direct effects of algal blooms and cryoconite. We conclude by highlighting knowledge gaps for the field and detailing a global framework for long-term BAR monitoring. Introduction:The global cryosphere-the compilation of Earth's frozen water-is in rapid, accelerating decline (IPCC, 2019). Covering approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface at present, mass loss from the terrestrial cryosphere is driven primarily by a warming atmosphere (Fountain et al., 2012;Hock et al., 2019). Over the last 50 years, spring snow cover on land in the Arctic has

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Occurrence of integrons and antibiotic resistance genes in cryoconite and ice of Svalbard, Greenland, and the Caucasus glaciers

Cited by 29 publications

References 77 publications

Climate change, melting cryosphere and frozen pathogens: Should we worry…?

Climate change, melting cryosphere and frozen pathogens: Should we worry…?

Occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella species and potentially pathogenic Escherichia coli in free‐living seals of Canadian Atlantic and eastern Arctic waters

Biological albedo reduction on ice sheets, glaciers, and snowfields

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