blaTEM and vanA as indicator genes of antibiotic resistance contamination in a hospital–urban wastewater treatment plant system

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2014

Authors

Carlos Narciso da Rocha (Author) Other; Ana R. Varela (Author) FEUP; Thomas Schwartz (Author) Other; Olga C. Nunes (Author) FEUP; Célia M. Manaia (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance

Vol. 2 No. 4

Pages: 309-315

ISSN: 2213-7165

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 38 Citations

Scopus - 65 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Health sciences

Associated Projects

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

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00A-23R

DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2014.10.001

Abstract (EN): Four indicator genes were monitored by quantitative PCR in hospital effluent (HE) and in the raw and treated wastewater of the municipal wastewater treatment plant receiving the hospital discharge. The indicator genes were the class 1 integrase gene intl1, to assess the capacity of bacteria to be involved in horizontal gene transfer processes; bla(TEM), one of the most widespread antibiotic resistance genes in the environment, associated with Enterobacteriaceae; vanA, an antibiotic resistance gene uncommon in the environment and frequent in clinical isolates; and marA, part of a locus related to the stress response in Enterobacteriaceae. Variation in the abundance of these genes was analysed as a function of the type of water, and possible correlations with cultivable bacteria, antimicrobial residue concentrations, and bacterial community composition and structure were analysed. HE was confirmed as an important source of bla(TEM) and vanA genes, and wastewater treatment showed a limited capacity to remove these resistance genes. The genes bla(TEM) and vanA presented the strongest correlations with culturable bacteria, antimicrobial residues and some bacterial populations, representing interesting candidates as indicator genes to monitor resistance in environmental samples. The intl1 gene was the most abundant in all samples, demonstrating that wastewater bacterial populations hold a high potential for gene acquisition.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7