Spatiotemporal profiling of antibiotics and resistance genes in a river catchment: Human population as the main driver of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance gene presence in the environment

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) Vol. 203; p. 117533
• Main Authors: Elder, Felicity C.T., Proctor, Kathryn, Barden, Ruth, Gaze, William H, Snape, Jason, Feil, Edward J, Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15.09.2021
• Subjects: AMR; Environment; Fluoroquinolones; Resistance genes; Wastewater; Fluoroquinolones; Environment; Wastewater; Resistance genes; AMR
• ISSN: 0043-1354; 1879-2448
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117533

•4 AB classes and 4 ARGs in 5 WWTPs serving 5 cities studied.•Strong positive correlation observed between AB, ARG daily loads and population size.•The removal of ABs and ARGs is site and target specific and highly variable.•Some evidence that selection for sul1 and qnrS occurs during wastewater treatment.•PNEC exceeded for ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, erythromycin. Studies to understand the role wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play in the dissemination of antibiotics (ABs), and in the emergence of antibiotic resistance (ABR), play an important role in tackling this global crisis. Here we describe the abundance and distribution of 16 ABs, and 4 corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), sampled from the influent to five WWTPs within a single river catchment. We consider four classes of antibiotics: fluroquinolones, macrolides, sulfamethoxazole and chloramphenicol, as well the corresponding antibiotic resistance genes qnrS, ermB, sul1 and catA. All antibiotics, apart from four fluroquinolones (besifloxacin, lomefloxacin, ulifloxacin, prulifloxacin), were detected within all influent wastewater from the 5 cities (1 city = 1 WWTP), as were the corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Strong correlations were observed between the daily loads of ABs and ARGs versus the size of the population served by each WWTP, as well as between AB and ARG loads at a single site. The efficiency of ABs and ARGs removal by the WWTPs varied according to site (and treatment process utilized) and target, although strong correlations were maintained between the population size served by WWTPs and daily loads of discharged ABs and ARGs into the environment. We therefore conclude that population size is the main determinant of the magnitude of AB and ARG burden in the environment. [Display omitted]