Metagenomics revealed the mobility and hosts of antibiotic resistance genes in typical pesticide wastewater treatment plants

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 817; p. 153033
• Main Authors: Shi, Liming, Zhang, Junya, Lu, Tiedong, Zhang, Kecheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.04.2022
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotic resistance genes; Drug Resistance, Microbial - genetics; Genes, Bacterial; Humans; Metagenomics; Microbial community; Pesticides; Waste Water - analysis; Wastewater treatment plants; Water Purification; Metagenomics; Wastewater treatment plants; Antibiotic resistance genes; Microbial community; Pesticides
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153033

Pesticide showed a crucial selective pressure of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environmental dimension, especially in the pesticide wastewater treatment process, where the information on the mobility and hosts of ARGs was very important but limited. This study tried to clarify the mobile antibiotic resistome and ARG hosts in three typical pesticide wastewater treatment plants (PWWTPs) through metagenomics. Results showed that ARGs associated with antibiotic efflux and multi-drug resistance generally dominated in the PWWTPs, and the relative abundance of ARGs was generally higher in the water phase than that in sludge phase. The mobile antibiotic resistome accounted for 43.6% ± 16.2% and 44.8% ± 18.0% of the total relative abundance of ARGs in the water phase and sludge phase, respectively. The tnpA, IS91 and intI1 were the dominant mobile genetic elements (MGEs) closely associated with ARGs. MCR-5 and MCR-9 were first identified in the PWWTPs and located together with the tnpA, tnpA2 and int2. The potential human pathogens belonging to Citrobacter, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Acinetobacter, and Kluyvern were the major ARG hosts in the PWWTPs. Statistical analysis indicated that microbial community contributed the most to the occurrence of antibiotic resistome, and the reduction of the major ARG hosts was crucial from the perspective of ARGs control. [Display omitted] •Antibiotic resistome in the water and sludge phase were clarified.•Antibiotic efflux and multi-drug resistance genes dominated in PWWTPs.•Mobile antibiotic resistome in water phase and sludge phase were demonstrated.•MCR-5 and MCR-9 were first identified in the PWWTPs.•Potential human pathogens were the dominant hosts in PWWTPs.