Quinolone resistant Aeromonas spp. as carriers and potential tracers of acquired antibiotic resistance in hospital and municipal wastewater

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2016

Authors

Ana Rita Varela (Author) FEUP; Olga C. Nunes (Author) FEUP; Célia M. Manaia (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Science of the Total Environment

Vol. 542 No. Part A

Pages: 665-671

ISSN: 0048-9697

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 34 Citations

Scopus - 64 Citations

Associated Projects

PTDC/AAC-AMB/113840/2009 - Dinâmicas de resistência a antimicrobianos entre o hospital e o ambiente

LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

LEPAE/CEFT - RL2 - (Bio) Chemical Engineering: Multi-Scale Approaches for Sustainable Environment and Health

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00G-W5H

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.10.124

Abstract (EN): Members of the genus Aeromonas are recognized carriers of antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments. However, their importance on the spread of resistance from hospital effluents to the environment is poorly understood. Quinolone resistant Aeromonas spp. (n = 112) isolated from hospital effluent (HE) and from raw (RWW) and treated wastewater (TWW) of the receiving urban wastewater treatment plant (UWTP) were characterized. Species identification and genetic intraspecies diversity were assessed based on the 16S rRNA, cpn60 and gyrB genes sequence analysis. The antibiotic resistance phenotypes and genotypes (qnrA, qnrB, qnrC, qnrD, qnrS, qnrVC; qepA; oqxAB; aac(6')-Ib-cr; bla(OXA); incU) were analyzed in function of the origin and taxonomic group. Most isolates belonged to the species Aeromonas caviae and Aeromonas hydrophila (50% and 41%, respectively). The quinolone and the beta-lactamase resistance genes aac(6')-Ib-cr and bla(OXA), including gene bla(OXA)-101, identified for the first time in Aeromonas spp., were detected in 58% and 56% of the isolates, respectively, with identical prevalence in HE and UWTP wastewater. In contrast, the gene qnrS2 was observed mainly in isolates from the UWTP (51%) and rarely in HE isolates (3%), suggesting that its origin is not the clinical setting. Bacterial groups and genes that allow the identification of major routes of antibiotic resistance dissemination are valuable tools to control this problem. In this study, it was concluded that members of the genus Aeromonas harboring the genes aac(6')-Ib-cr and blaOXA are relevant tracers of antibiotic resistance dissemination in wastewater habitats, while those yielding the gene qnrS2 allow the traceability from non-clinical sources.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7