Complex pollution of antibiotic resistance genes due to beta-lactam and aminoglycoside use in aquaculture farming. (1st May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Baowei; Lin, Lan; Fang, Ling; Yang, Ying; Chen, Enzhong; Yuan, Ke; Zou, Shichun; Wang, Xiaowei; Luan, Tiangang
• Is Part Of: Water research. Volume 134(2018)
• Page Start: 200
• Page End: 208
• Publication Date: 2018-05-01
• Subjects: Antibiotic resistance genes -- Extracellular and intracellular DNA -- Sediment -- Aquaculture; Water -- Pollution -- Research -- Periodicals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.02.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0043-1354

Abstract

Abstract: The prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the modern world has raised global concerns for public health. Establishing relationships between antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is essential to understanding the dissemination and accumulation of ARGs in a human-impacted environment. In this study, ARG profiles in the sediments from a bullfrog farm, where penicillin and amoxicillin ( beta -lactams) and gentamicin (aminoglycoside) were used for prophylactic purposes, were analyzed using metagenomic approaches. Analysis of both extracellular and intracellular DNA (eDNA and iDNA) demonstrated that use of the above-mentioned antibiotics led to complex pollution of ARGs not only related to beta -lactams and aminoglycoside but also to sulfonamides, tetracyclines, and macrolides. Most of the ARGs in the sediments from the bullfrog farm were likely carried by plasmids. A significant correlation was observed between the total abundance of ARG-related plasmids and that of plasmid-carrying ARGs. Approximately 85% of the plasmids likely present in the sediment from the bullfrog farm possessed at least 3 ARG subtypes, which conferred the resistance of bacterial hosts to different antibiotic categories. Our results suggest that antibiotics could lead to complex pollution of ARGs unrelated to those administered due to the concurrence of ARGs in the plasmids. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Metagenomic profiling revealed diverse ARGs in bullfrog farm. Complex pollution of ARGs was demonstrated by extracellular and intracellular DNA. Most of plasmids in the sediments of bullfrog farm carried at least 3 ARG subtypes. One single antibiotic lead to co-selection for multiple ARGs related to otherantibiotic groups.