Class 1 integrase, sulfonamide and tetracycline resistance genes in wastewater treatment plant and surface water.

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants are considered hot spots for multiplication and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes. In this study, we determined the presence of class 1 integron integrase and genes conferring resistance to tetracyclines and sulfonamides in the genomes of culturable bacteria isolated from a wastewater treatment plant and the river that receives the treated wastewater. Moreover, using PCR-based metagenomic approach, we quantified intI1, tet and sul genes. Wastewater treatment caused the decrease in the total number of culturable heterotrophs and bacteria resistant to tetracycline and sulfonamides, along with the decrease in the number of intI1, sul and tet gene copies per ml, with significant reduction of tet(B). On the other hand, the treatment process increased both the frequency of tetracycline- and sulfonamide-resistant bacteria and intI1-positive strains, and the relative abundance of all quantified antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and intI1 gene; in the case of tet(A) and sul2 significantly. The discharge of treated wastewater increased the number of intI1, tet and sul genes in the receiving river water both in terms of copy number per ml and relative abundance. Hence, despite the reduction of the number of ARGs and ARBs, wastewater treatment selects for bacteria with ARGs in effluent.