Water Hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) as Indicators of Heavy Metal Impact of a Large Landfill on the Almendares River near Havana, Cuba

Olivares-Rieumont, Susana; Lima, Liliane Schier de; Rosa, Daniel de la; Graham, David W.; Columbie, Isaida; Santana, Jorge Luis; Sánchez, Marı́a Jesús

doi:10.1007/s00128-007-9305-5

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Further, intrinsic variability from site to site demands replicate and more samples be collected to obtain a holistic picture of ARG conditions in a river, although specific locations and river compartments have value in themselves. For example, previous work showed dry-season sediment sampling was very useful for identifying key pollutant inputs to a river (Olivares-Rieumont et al, 2005, 2007; Graham et al, 2011), but we show here that neither dry-season sediment nor water column data represent conditions in the wet-season. This is particularly important when one considers ARG transport downstream in each season.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 68%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Seasonal Variations in Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transport in the Almendares River, Havana, Cuba

Knapp¹,

Lima²,

Olivares-Rieumont³

et al. 2012

Front. Microbio.

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Numerous studies have quantified antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) in rivers and streams around the world, and significant relationships have been shown that relate different pollutant outputs and increased local ARG levels. However, most studies have not considered ambient flow conditions, which can vary dramatically especially in tropical countries. Here, ARG were quantified in water column and sediment samples during the dry- and wet-seasons to assess how seasonal and other factors influence ARG transport down the Almendares River (Havana, Cuba). Eight locations were sampled and stream flow estimated during both seasons; qPCR was used to quantify four tetracycline, two erythromycin, and three beta-lactam resistance genes. ARG concentrations were higher in wet-season versus dry-season samples, which combined with higher flows, indicated much greater ARG transport downstream during the wet-season. However, water column ARG levels were more spatially variable in the dry-season than the wet-season, with the proximity of waste outfalls strongly influencing local ARG levels. Results confirm that dry-season sampling provides a useful picture of the impact of individual waste inputs on local stream ARG levels, whereas the majority of ARGs in this tropical river were transported downstream during the wet-season, possibly due to re-entrainment of ARG from sediments.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 68%

“…The sites have been described previously (Olivares-Rieumont et al, 2005, 2007; Graham et al, 2011) and details are provided in Table 1. To make seasonal comparisons, samples were collected in April 2008 (dry-season) and the following September in the wet-season.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Variations in Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transport in the Almendares River, Havana, Cuba

Knapp¹,

Lima²,

Olivares-Rieumont³

et al. 2012

Front. Microbio.

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“…However, early work showed heavy metals were very elevated in river sediments (16,17), especially Cu (copper), Pb (lead), and Zn (zinc), and we speculated that this pollution might also be affecting AR because of known links between heavy metals and AR development (18). Further, the watershed contains pharmaceutical production and other facilities and untreated domestic wastewater discharges.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Antibiotic Resistance Gene Abundances Associated with Waste Discharges to the Almendares River near Havana, Cuba

Graham

Olivares-Rieumont

Knapp

et al. 2010

Environ. Sci. Technol.

270

169

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Considerable debate exists over the primary cause of increased antibiotic resistance (AR) worldwide. Evidence suggests increasing AR results from overuse of antibiotics in medicine and therapeutic and nontherapeutic applications in agriculture. However, pollution also can influence environmental AR, particularly associated with heavy metal, pharmaceutical, and other waste releases, although the relative scale of the “pollution” contribution is poorly defined, which restricts targeted mitigation efforts. The question is “where to study and quantify AR from pollution versus other causes to best understand the pollution effect”. One useful site is Cuba because industrial pollution broadly exists; antibiotics are used sparingly in medicine and agriculture; and multiresistant bacterial infections are increasing in clinical settings without explanation. Within this context, we quantified 13 antibiotic resistance genes (ARG; indicators of AR potential), 6 heavy metals, 3 antibiotics, and 17 other organic pollutants at 8 locations along the Almendares River in western Havana at sites bracketing known waste discharge points, including a large solid waste landfill and various pharmaceutical factories. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between sediment ARG levels, especially for tetracyclines and β-lactams (e.g., tet(M), tet(O), tet(Q), tet(W), blaOXA), and sediment Cu and water column ampicillin levels in the river. Further, sediment ARG levels increased by up to 3 orders of magnitude downstream of the pharmaceutical factories and were highest where human population densities also were high. Although explicit links are not shown, results suggest that pollution has increased background AR levels in a setting where other causes of AR are less prevalent.

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“…In order to assess the effect of excessive metal concentration in natural resources, it is necessary to assess the correct amount of nutrients needed for the metabolism of plants, so that the increased accumulation of certain elements in the organs could be attributed to their increased concentration in the surrounding environment (Gerloff and Krombholz, 1966;Pajević et al, 2002). The value of macrophytes as bioindicators in river systems is reflected in the fact that they always stay in one place, they are usually abundant, their sampling is easy, and taxonomic affiliation can be easily determined (Olivares- Rieunont et al, 2007). Due to the fixed positions of the rooted submerged and floating hydrophytes, as well as emersal species, they have a role as bioaccumulators and biofilters, which is manifested mainly in shallow waters, in coastal areas of rivers, canals and lakes, as well as in parts of the river where the water flows more slowly (Westlake, 1975).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metals in Sediment and Phragmites Australis (Common Reed) From Tisza River, Serbia

Štrbac¹

2014

Appl Ecol Env Res

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Abstract. In this study the concentrations of metals were investigated in Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. eh Steud. 1841 and sediment samples from the bed of the River Tisza in Serbia. Al, As, B, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr and Zn levels were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma -optical emission spectrometry. The sediment samples contained elevated concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel and zinc. The increased concentration of these metals had no significant effect on wildlife of the river Tisza as the determined concentrations of the metals tested in the comon reed do not exceed the threshold of phytotoxicity. The research proved a strong positive correlation between the concentrations of metals in the sediment and all common reed organs (rhizome, stem and leave). Accumulated metals in the common reed are not distributed evenly, but there are target organs for bioaccumulation. Concentrations in belowground organs were usually higher than aboveground organs, and the general decreasing trend of element content was rhizome>leaves>stems.

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Water Hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) as Indicators of Heavy Metal Impact of a Large Landfill on the Almendares River near Havana, Cuba

Cited by 20 publications

References 15 publications

Seasonal Variations in Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transport in the Almendares River, Havana, Cuba

Seasonal Variations in Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transport in the Almendares River, Havana, Cuba

Antibiotic Resistance Gene Abundances Associated with Waste Discharges to the Almendares River near Havana, Cuba

Metals in Sediment and Phragmites Australis (Common Reed) From Tisza River, Serbia

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