Global diversity and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in human wastewater treatment systems
Capital Medical University · University of Oklahoma · +72 more institutions
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to human health, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Here, we analyze the antibiotic resistomes of 226 activated sludge samples from 142 WWTPs across six continents, using a consistent pipeline for sample collection, DNA sequencing and analysis. We find that ARGs are diverse and similarly abundant, with a core set of 20 ARGs present in all WWTPs. ARG composition differs across continents and is distinct from that of the human gut and the oceans. ARG composition strongly correlates with bacterial taxonomic composition, with Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria being the major…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 37.51
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 88
Authors
97- CZCongmin ZhuCorresponding
Capital Medical University, University of Oklahoma
- LWLinwei Wu
Ministry of Education, University of Oklahoma
- DNDaliang Ning
University of Oklahoma
- RTRenmao Tian
Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute for Food Safety and Health, University of Oklahoma
- SGShu-Hong Gao
University of Oklahoma
Topics & keywords
- Antibiotic resistance
- Antibiotics
- Distribution (mathematics)
- Gene
- Diversity (politics)
- Resistance (ecology)
- Computational biology
- Biology
- Clean water and sanitation