Hypoxia triggers the proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes in a marine aquaculture system

Yiqin Deng; Jianjun Jiang; Yinbang Huang; Changhong Cheng; Ziyang Lin; Guangxin Liu; Zhixun Guo; Juan Feng

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160305

Hypoxia triggers the proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes in a marine aquaculture system

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Feb 10;859(Pt 1):160305. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160305. Epub 2022 Nov 20.

Authors

Yiqin Deng¹, Jianjun Jiang¹, Yinbang Huang¹, Changhong Cheng¹, Ziyang Lin¹, Guangxin Liu¹, Zhixun Guo¹, Juan Feng²

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of South China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation & Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510300, China.
² Key Laboratory of South China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation & Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510300, China. Electronic address: juanfeng@scsfri.ac.cn.

PMID: 36410487
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160305

Abstract

The transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) affects the safety of aquaculture animals. Dissolved oxygen (DO) can affect the transmission of ARGs, but its mechanism of action in this process is unclear. We conducted laboratory breeding experiment with low and control DO groups. Combined quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA sequencing to study the effect of DO on the spread of ARGs. Hypoxia treatment significantly increased the accumulation of ammonium and nitrite in aquaculture water, and it increased the relative abundances of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), especially the ARGs resistant to drugs in the categories of sulfonamide, (flor)/(chlor)/(am)phenicol, and MLSB (macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin B) and the MGE intI-1(clinic), by 2.39-95.69 % in 28 days relative to the control DO treatment. Though the abundance of ARG carries, especially the Rhodocyclaceae, Caldilineaceae, Cyclobacteriaceae, Saprospiraceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Sphingomonadaceae families, showed higher abundance in low DO groups, relating to the vertical transmission of ARGs. Hypoxia treatment is more likely to promote the horizontal gene transfer (HGT)-related pathways, including ABC transporters, two component system, and quorum sensing, thus to induce the HGT of ARGs. The changed bacterial proliferation also altered the abundance of MGEs, especially intI-1(clinic), which induced HGT of ARGs as well. Additionally, pearson correlation results revealed that the succession of bacterial community function played the strongest role in ARG proliferation, followed by bacterial community structure and MGEs. Our results highlight the importance of suitable DO concentration in controlling the spread of ARGs especially the HGT of ARGs. In the context of global attention to food safety, our results provide important information for ensuring the safety of aquatic products and the sustainable development of aquaculture.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistance spread; Bacterial community; Dissolved oxygen; Horizontal gene transfer; Nutrients.

MeSH terms

Animals
Anti-Bacterial Agents* / analysis
Anti-Bacterial Agents* / pharmacology
Aquaculture
Cell Proliferation
Drug Resistance, Microbial / genetics
Genes, Bacterial*
Hypoxia
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S