Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Faecal Sterols in Marine Sediments: An Evidence of Their Presence away from Point Sources–Kuwait’s Example

Abstract

Coastal areas are vital ecosystems, supporting diverse marine life and providing resources essential to human well-being. However, sewage pollution poses a significant threat to these delicate environments, impacting water quality, biodiversity, and public health. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has gained importance. We believe the presence of faecal sterols in coastal and marine sediments is a reliable indicator of sewage contamination. At most sites, the faecal contamination was observed with ranges from <dl to 18713 ng g−1 dw. The coprostanol/cholesterol ratio was >0.2 at 68% of the sampling sites, suggesting a large spatial distribution of sewage contamination beyond the discharge points. The positive correlation of faecal sterols with AMR provides an insight that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can spread to areas away from point sources. We propose that sterol ratios be considered as a screening tool for selecting the sites for AMR assessment. The analyses of sterols will be less time and cost-intensive compared to pharmaceutical analyses and can be a reliable indicator for AMR studies in areas where prior knowledge and experience are lacking.