Storm promotes the dissemination of antibiotic resistome in an urban lagoon through enhancing bio-interactions

Liyuan Hou; Jiangwei Li; Hongjie Wang; Qingfu Chen; Jian-Qiang Su; Mahmoud Gad; Warish Ahmed; Chang-Ping Yu; Anyi Hu

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2022.107457

Storm promotes the dissemination of antibiotic resistome in an urban lagoon through enhancing bio-interactions

Environ Int. 2022 Oct:168:107457. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107457. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Authors

Liyuan Hou¹, Jiangwei Li², Hongjie Wang², Qingfu Chen³, Jian-Qiang Su⁴, Mahmoud Gad⁵, Warish Ahmed⁶, Chang-Ping Yu⁷, Anyi Hu⁸

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China.
³ Yundang Lake Management Center, Xiamen, Fujian 361004, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, Fujian 361021, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Water Pollution Research Department, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt.
⁶ CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Qld 4102, Australia.
⁷ CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
⁸ CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China. Electronic address: ayhu@iue.ac.cn.

PMID: 35963060
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107457

Abstract

Antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and resistant bacteria (ARB) are abundant in stormwater that could cause serious infections, posing a potential threat to public health. However, there is no inference about how stormwater contributes to ARG profiles as well as the dynamic interplay between ARGs and bacteria via vertical gene transfer (VGT) or horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in urban water ecosystems. In this study, the distribution of ARGs, their host communities, and the source and community assembly process of ARGs were investigated in Yundang Lagoon (China) via high-throughput quantitative PCR, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and application of SourceTracker before, after and recovering from an extreme precipitation event (132.1 mm). The abundance of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) was the highest one day after precipitation and then decreased 2 days after precipitation and so on. Based on SourceTracker and NMDS analysis, the ARG and bacterial communities in lagoon surface water from one day after precipitation were mainly contributed by the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent and effluent. However, the contribution of WWTP to ARG communities was minor 11 days after the precipitation, suggesting that the storm promoted the ARG levels by introducing the input of ARGs, MGEs, and ARB from point and non-point sources, such as sewer overflow and land-applied manure. Based on a novel microbial network analysis framework, the contribution of positive biological interactions between ARGs and MGEs or bacteria was the highest one day after precipitation, indicating a promoted VGT and HGT for ARG dissemination. The microbial networks deconstructed 11 days after precipitation, suggesting the stormwater practices (e.g., tide gate opening, diversion channels, and pumping) alleviated the spread of ARGs. These results advanced our understanding of the distribution and transport of ARGs associated with their source in urban stormwater runoff.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistance genes; Network analysis; Precipitation event; SourceTracker; Urban runoff.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
Anti-Bacterial Agents* / pharmacology
Bacteria / genetics
Ecosystem
Genes, Bacterial*
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
Water

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
Water