Presence of antibiotic resistance genes in a sewage treatment plant in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 188; pp. 79 - 83
• Main Authors: Naquin, Anthony, Shrestha, Arsen, Sherpa, Mingma, Nathaniel, Rajkumar, Boopathy, Raj
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2015
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; antibiotic resistance; Antibiotic resistance genes; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Carbon - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; Erythromycin; Erythromycin - chemistry; genes; genetic transformation; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Louisiana; methicillin; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; MRSA; Penicillin-Binding Proteins; Refuse Disposal - methods; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; sewage; Sewage - microbiology; Sewage treatment; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Tetracycline; Tetracycline - chemistry; Waste Water - microbiology; wastewater treatment; Water Microbiology; Louisiana; Erythromycin; Antibiotic resistance genes; MRSA; Sewage treatment; Tetracycline

•Antibiotic resistance genes in the raw and treated sewage were demonstrated.•mecA gene was present in both raw and treated sewage in all sampling events.•Genetic transformation was demonstrated using the mecA gene found in sewage. Increasing uses and disposals of antibiotics to the environment have...