Characterization of antibiotic resistance genes in drinking water sources of the Douhe Reservoir, Tangshan, northern China: the correlation with bacterial communities and environmental factors

Abstract

BackgroundAntibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) threaten ecological sustainability and human health, especially the drinking water sources of the Douhe Reservoir, which have critical significance amid their direct use by people and the ecological hub of flora and fauna. Although antibiotics and ARGs pollution in reservoirs have been reported, it is of no practical significance to only study the changes (increase or decrease) of the abundance and diversity of ARGs, and it is more important to explore the mechanisms of the changes affecting ARGs. Thus, the occurrence and prevalence characterizations of the spatial and seasonal of the ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and bacterial communities were comprehensively studied in present study.Results263 ARG (nine types of ARGs) and 51 MGE subtypes were detected in 56 samples, and the characteristics of the temporal and spatial distribution of ARGs, MGEs and the composition of bacterial communities were significantly different. Moreover, the correlation among the ARGs, bacterial communities, MGEs and environmental factors were defined, and the co-occurrence patterns associated with ARG subtypes, bacterial genera, and MGE subtypes between water and sediment of the Douhe Reservoir were different.ConclusionsIn summary, ARGs were ubiquitous presence in water and sediment of the Douhe Reservoir, and the multidrug, aminoglycoside and macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin B (MLSB) were main types of ARGs. Bacterial genera and the environmental factors [such as temperature (T), nitrate–nitrogen (NO– 3–N), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), and total phosphorus (TP)] significantly affected the distribution pattern of ARGs. Overall, this research revealed the spatiotemporal change and transmission mechanisms of ARGs in the typical drinking water sources of reservoirs, which will supply clues to ensure the safety of water sources.