Abstract
The present study compares the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in the urban water of Ahmedabad (India), to understand the correlation of ARB with the fecal, metal, and microplastic contamination. Eleven samples, i.e., three locations of Sabarmati River along with one sample each from two (Chandola and Kankaria) lakes, and influents and effluents from three Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) were analyzed in this study. E. coli isolated from the samples were subjected to three fluoroquinolones (Levofloxacin (LVX), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), and Norfloxacin (NFX)) and three non-fluoroquinolones (Kanamycin Monosulphate (KM), Tetracycline (TC), and Sulfamethoxazole (ST)) antibiotics for resistance quantification. Prevalence of the E. coli in the Sabarmati River (19,467–76,600 cfu mL−1) was higher than the lakes and STP(s), except the influent sample at Juhapura STP. Among the lake samples, Kankaria Lake (KL) exhibited 0% resistance towards all six antibiotics despite 5× prevalence of E. coli than that of Chandola Lake (CL) exhibiting up to 60% resistance for non-fluoroquinolones and 40% resistance to NFX. Multivariate statistical analyses suggest that resistance for ST, KM, and TC is more prevalent and correlated with electrical conductivity (EC), finer size microplastic, manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni), whereas the resistance for fluoroquinolones (LVX, CIP, and NFX) seems highly influenced by seasonal temperature variation. Larger size microplastic clustered with salinity, ORP, and Pb. Further, fecal contamination and antibiotic resistance seem to be governed by the same source and processes, yet it does not show good correlation except for the river samples. This result may be attributed to the dynamic river–human interface, substantial wastewater discharge into the river, stagnant water flow, and urbanization-related discharge conditions rather than the upstream condition.
Highlights
Rapid urbanization and industrialization, growing energy demands, and intensive agriculture have adversely affected the physicochemical and biological properties of the ambient water.[1,2]Antibiotic resistance is a condition that enables the microorganisms to become capable of reproduction and survival within the target sites in the presence of antibiotics.[1]
Acquiring the ability of antibiotic resistance does not remain restricted to any particular type of microorganism that might be targeted by a given antibiotic.[4]
E. coli in the river ranged between 19,467 and 76,600 cfu mL−1, which is an alarmingly higher number compared with the lakes and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs)
Summary
Rapid urbanization and industrialization, growing energy demands, and intensive agriculture have adversely affected the physicochemical and biological properties of the ambient water.[1,2]Antibiotic resistance is a condition that enables the microorganisms to become capable of reproduction and survival within the target sites in the presence of antibiotics.[1]. Health Organization, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant gene (ARG) are the two major threats to public health in the twenty-first century.[2] The worldwide prevalence of ARB is on the rise due to continual increment in overall consumption of antibiotics in various medical, domestic, agricultural, and veterinary applications.[3] Acquiring the ability of antibiotic resistance does not remain restricted to any particular type of microorganism that might be targeted by a given antibiotic.[4] The consequence of ARB is a significant disquiet in treating life-threatening diseases for both humans and animals.[5,6] In the last 15 years (2000–2015), India witnessed 103% (3.2–6.5 billion defined daily doses) increase in antibiotic consumption.[7]
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