Metagenomic investigation of the seasonal distribution of bacterial community and antibiotic-resistant genes in Day River Downstream, Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Abstract

In this study, we use high-throughput sequencing-based metagenomic methods to investigate the differences in seasonal structures of the bacterial community and the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in both shrimp ponds and river water samples downstream of the Day River, Ninh Binh, Vietnam. The structure of the central bacterial community, ARGs, and MGEs was found to be regardless of the seasons and locations. The predominant phyla found in all samples was Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. Multi-drug resistance (MDR) genes and transposases are the most dominant ARG types and MGEs, respectively. Our data showed a higher abundance of bacterial communities, ARGs, and MGEs in the river water during the rainy season. There is a significant correlation between the abundance of ARGs, MGEs, and environmental factors. Our results indicate that water environments containing ARGs/MGEs carrying bacteria pose a risk to shrimp and human health, especially during the rainfall-polluted water season.