Abstract
Droplet digital PCR revealed antibiotic resistance genes, metal resistance genes, and intI1 across all pipe biofilm sample types (biomass surfaces, pipe surfaces, corrosion tubercles, and under corrosion tubercles).
Highlights
Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern stemming from the microbial response to the widespread occurrence of antibiotics and other physiological stressors in the environment.[1,2] Approximately 2.8 million people are diagnosed with infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), and over 35 000 deaths are attributed to antibiotic resistance annually in the U.S alone.[3]
A previous study detected blaTEM in drinking water biofilms at lower absolute abundance but with similar relative abundance as in this study.[34]. These results demonstrate that different microenvironments or niches in pipes can serve as reservoirs for bacteria harboring resistance genes, indicating that biofilms on drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) pipes can serve as sources of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) when biofilms shed viable cells into tap drinking water.[79]
Additional research is needed to quantify resistance genes and microbial communities in other pipe materials including copper, lead, and plastic that are commonly used in full-scale DWDS to understand how engineering management decisions can impact sources of antibiotic resistance.[24]
Summary
Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern stemming from the microbial response to the widespread occurrence of antibiotics and other physiological stressors in the environment.[1,2] Approximately 2.8 million people are diagnosed with infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), and over 35 000 deaths are attributed to antibiotic resistance annually in the U.S alone.[3] Antibiotic. It is becoming increasingly important to quantify ARGs in exposure routes that directly convey ARGs to people, including drinking water distribution systems (DWDS).[15,16,17] ARGs have been detected in various water environments including groundwater,[8] surface water,[2,9] drinking water treatment plants,[10,11] and tap drinking water[12,13,14] at concentrations up to 1010 copies per L.11 it is becoming increasingly important to quantify ARGs in exposure routes that directly convey ARGs to people, including drinking water distribution systems (DWDS).[15,16,17]
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