Antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial diversity: A comparative molecular study of treated sewage from different origins and their impact on irrigated soils

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 307; p. 136175
• Main Authors: Shekhawat, Sandeep Singh, Kulshreshtha, Niha Mohan, Saini, Pankaj, Upadhyay, Aparna, Gupta, Akhilendra Bhushan, Jenifer M, Helga, Subramanian, Vikram, Kumari, Ankita, Pareek, Nidhi, Vivekanand, Vivekanand
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2022
• Subjects: Antibiotic resistance genes; Bacterial diversity; Shotgun metagenomic sequencing; Soil irrigation; Wastewater reuse; Shotgun metagenomic sequencing; Bacterial diversity; Antibiotic resistance genes; Soil irrigation; Wastewater reuse
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136175

Present study aims to investigate how is soil affected following irrigation with treated effluents of different origins by analysing the bacterial diversity, metabolic diversity and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Comparative analysis with previously reported ARGs in effluents was performed to understand the mobility of ARGs from treated wastewater to the irrigated soil with respect to the control soil regimen. Acinetobacter, Burkholderia and Pseudomonas were observed as the most abundant genera in all the samples. The metabolic gene abundance of all the samples suggests a prominent contribution to natural mineral recycling. Most abundant ARGs observed encode resistance for clindamycin, kanamycin A, macrolides, paromomycin, spectinomycin and tetracycline. Treated effluent reuse did not appear to enhance the ARG levels in soils in most cases except for institutional treatment site (M), where the ARGs for aminoglycosides, β-lactams and sulfonamides were found to be abundantly present in both treated effluent and the irrigated soil. This study finds the importance of wastewater treatment from different origins and the impact of treated wastewater reuse in irrigation. This study also emphasises on the better understanding of ARGs mobility from water to soil. [Display omitted] •Wastewater from different origins following different treatments studied.•Effect of treated wastewater irrigation on soil analysed via metagenomic analysis.•Treated wastewater conforms to physicochemical but not to coliform standards.•Acinetobacter, Burkholderia and Pseudomonas among abundant genera in all samples.•Effluent reuse does not enhance ARGs in soils except at 1 institutional site (M).