TY - JOUR
T1 - Candidate biomarkers of antibiotic resistance for the monitoring of wastewater and the downstream environment
AU - Teixeira, A. Margarida
AU - Vaz-Moreira, Ivone
AU - Calderón-Franco, David
AU - Weissbrodt, David
AU - Purkrtova, Sabina
AU - Gajdos, Stanislav
AU - Dottorini, Giulia
AU - Nielsen, Per Halkjær
AU - Khalifa, Leron
AU - Cytryn, Eddie
AU - Bartacek, Jan
AU - Manaia, Célia M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/12/1
Y1 - 2023/12/1
N2 - Urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs) are essential for reducing the pollutants load and protecting water bodies. However, wastewater catchment areas and UWTPs emit continuously antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with recognized impacts on the downstream environments. Recently, the European Commission recommended to monitor antibiotic resistance in UWTPs serving more than 100 000 population equivalents. Antibiotic resistance monitoring in environmental samples can be challenging. The expected complexity of these systems can jeopardize the interpretation capacity regarding, for instance, wastewater treatment efficiency, impacts of environmental contamination, or risks due to human exposure. Simplified monitoring frameworks will be essential for the successful implementation of analytical procedures, data analysis, and data sharing. This study aimed to test a set of biomarkers representative of ARG contamination, selected based on their frequent human association and, simultaneously, rare presence in pristine environments. In addition to the 16S rRNA gene, ten potential biomarkers (intI1, sul1, ermB, ermF, aph(3′’)-Ib, qacEΔ1, uidA, mefC, tetX, and crAssphage) were monitored in DNA extracts (n = 116) from raw wastewater, activated sludge, treated wastewater, and surface water (upstream and downstream of UWTPs) samples collected in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Israel, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Each biomarker was sensitive enough to measure decreases (on average by up to 2.5 log-units gene copy/mL) from raw wastewater to surface water, with variations in the same order of magnitude as for the 16S rRNA gene. The use of the 10 biomarkers allowed the typing of water samples whose origin or quality could be predicted in a blind test. The results show that, based on appropriate biomarkers, qPCR can be used for a cost-effective and technically accessible approach to monitoring wastewater and the downstream environment.
AB - Urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs) are essential for reducing the pollutants load and protecting water bodies. However, wastewater catchment areas and UWTPs emit continuously antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with recognized impacts on the downstream environments. Recently, the European Commission recommended to monitor antibiotic resistance in UWTPs serving more than 100 000 population equivalents. Antibiotic resistance monitoring in environmental samples can be challenging. The expected complexity of these systems can jeopardize the interpretation capacity regarding, for instance, wastewater treatment efficiency, impacts of environmental contamination, or risks due to human exposure. Simplified monitoring frameworks will be essential for the successful implementation of analytical procedures, data analysis, and data sharing. This study aimed to test a set of biomarkers representative of ARG contamination, selected based on their frequent human association and, simultaneously, rare presence in pristine environments. In addition to the 16S rRNA gene, ten potential biomarkers (intI1, sul1, ermB, ermF, aph(3′’)-Ib, qacEΔ1, uidA, mefC, tetX, and crAssphage) were monitored in DNA extracts (n = 116) from raw wastewater, activated sludge, treated wastewater, and surface water (upstream and downstream of UWTPs) samples collected in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Israel, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Each biomarker was sensitive enough to measure decreases (on average by up to 2.5 log-units gene copy/mL) from raw wastewater to surface water, with variations in the same order of magnitude as for the 16S rRNA gene. The use of the 10 biomarkers allowed the typing of water samples whose origin or quality could be predicted in a blind test. The results show that, based on appropriate biomarkers, qPCR can be used for a cost-effective and technically accessible approach to monitoring wastewater and the downstream environment.
KW - Anthropogenic pollution
KW - Antibiotic resistance
KW - Gene monitoring
KW - Quantitative PCR
KW - Wastewater
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85175431600&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120761
DO - 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120761
M3 - Article
C2 - 37918195
AN - SCOPUS:85175431600
SN - 0043-1354
VL - 247
JO - Water Research
JF - Water Research
M1 - 120761
ER -