Abstract
The objectives of this study were to comprehensively investigate the occurrence, distribution, and mobility of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) in the biofilm, water, and sediment from a section of the Weihe-river, in the northern Henan province, China. The abundances of nine ARGs belonging to four commonly used antibiotic classes (tetracyclines, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, and multidrug) and class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) were quantified. Sulfonamides gene (sulI) accounted for the highest percentage of detected ARGs in most sampling sites, including in water, biofilm, and sediment. Among the resistance genes, IntI1 and sul1 were significantly correlated (r>0.800, p<0.01) with a fecal coliform (FC) detected in the biofilm, and there was also a significantly positive correlation between the abundances of 16SrRNA and intI1 in the biofilms. Compared with the sediment and water samples, the biofilms contained sufficient nutrients to promote bacterial reproduction. Under sufficient total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, the horizontal gene transfer due to intI1 plays a key role in the formation and migration of ARGs within biofilms.
Highlights
Antibiotics are widely used in controlling infectious diseases in humans and animals
The target antibiotics were frequently detected in all the samples, indicating the widespread distribution of antibiotics in this watershed
The results showed that antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) abundance changed with the degree of urbanization, and land use maybe the main factor affecting the existence of resistance genes in Weihe-river watershed
Summary
Antibiotics are widely used in controlling infectious diseases in humans and animals. They are added to livestock feed as sub therapeutic and growth promoting agents. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of antibiotics. Some studies have shown that in 2013, approximately 53800t of antibiotics were released into rivers and waterways in China [1]. The widespread use of antibiotics has led to their frequent detection in soil, surface water, groundwater, drinking water, and other environmental media. ARGs remain in the environment and migrate, transform, spread, and diffuse to other environmental media, eventually destabilizing the environment and entering the food chain, thereby affecting human health [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
