Needles in haystacks: monitoring the potential escape of bioaerosolised antibacterial resistance genes from wastewater treatment plants with air and phyllosphere sampling

Paul B L George; Luke S Hillary; Samantha Leclerc; Emily C Cooledge; Joanie Lemieux; Caroline Duchaine; Davey L Jones

doi:10.1139/cjm-2023-0226

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Needles in haystacks: monitoring the potential escape of bioaerosolised antibacterial resistance genes from wastewater treatment plants with air and phyllosphere sampling

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Needles in haystacks: monitoring the potential escape of bioaerosolised antibacterial resistance genes from wastewater treatment plants with air and phyllosphere sampling

Paul B L George, Luke S Hillary, Samantha Leclerc, Emily C Cooledge, Joanie Lemieux, Caroline Duchaine and Davey L Jones

Canadian journal of microbiology, Vol.70(8), pp.348-357

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjm-2023-0226

PMID: 38608289

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Abstract

biomonitoring

conifers

bioaerosols

environmental AMR

high-throughput qPCR

Wastewater treatment plants are well-known point sources of emissions of antibacterial resistance genes (ARGs) into the environment. Although most work to date has focused on ARG dispersal via effluent, aerial dispersal in bioaerosols is a poorly understood, but likely important vector for ARG dispersal. Recent evidence suggests that ARG profiles of the conifer needle phyllosphere could be used to measure bioaerosol dispersal from anthropogenic sources. Here, we assessed airborne dispersal of ARGs from wastewater treatment plants in Wales, UK and Quebec, Canada, using conifer needles as passive bioaerosol monitors. ARG profiles of wastewater were compared to those of conifer phyllosphere using high-throughput qPCR. ARG richness was significantly lower in conifer phyllosphere samples than wastewater samples, though no differences were observed across the dispersal gradients. Mean copy number of ARGs followed a similar trend. ARG profiles showed limited, but consistent patterns with increasing distance from wastewater treatment plants, but these did not align with those of wastewater samples. For example, proportional abundance of aminoglycosides decreased over the dispersal gradient in Wales, whereas mobile genetic elements showed the inverse relationship. In summary, while distinct ARG profiles exist along dispersal gradients, links to those of wastewater were not apparent.

Details

Title: Needles in haystacks: monitoring the potential escape of bioaerosolised antibacterial resistance genes from wastewater treatment plants with air and phyllosphere sampling
Authors/Creators: Paul B L George - Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec
Luke S Hillary - University of California Davis
Samantha Leclerc - Université Laval
Emily C Cooledge - Bangor University
Joanie Lemieux - Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie, Quebec City, QC G1V 4G5, Canada
Caroline Duchaine - Université Laval
Davey L Jones - Murdoch University, Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems
Publication Details: Canadian journal of microbiology, Vol.70(8), pp.348-357
Publisher: Canadian Science Publishing
Identifiers: 991005668269907891
Murdoch Affiliation: Food Futures Institute
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 1 Clinical & Life Sciences; 1.23 Antibiotics & Antimicrobials; 1.23.146 Antimicrobial Resistance
Web Of Science research areas: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Immunology; Microbiology
ESI research areas: Microbiology