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Reclaimed water as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes: distribution system and irrigation implications

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dc.contributor.authorFahrenfeld, Nicoleen
dc.contributor.authorMa, Yanjunen
dc.contributor.authorO'Brien, Maureenen
dc.contributor.authorPruden, Amyen
dc.contributor.departmentCivil and Environmental Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2017-03-07T16:13:02Zen
dc.date.available2017-03-07T16:13:02Zen
dc.date.issued2013-05-28en
dc.description.abstractreated wastewater is increasingly being reused to achieve sustainable water management in arid regions. The objective of this study was to quantify the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in recycled water, particularly after it has passed through the distribution system, and to consider point-of-use implications for soil irrigation. Three separate reclaimed wastewater distribution systems in the western U.S. were examined. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to quantify ARGs corresponding to resistance to sulfonamides (sul1, sul2), macrolides (ermF), tetracycline [tet(A), tet(O)], glycopeptides (vanA), and methicillin (mecA), in addition to genes present in waterborne pathogens Legionella pneumophila (Lmip), Escherichia coli (gadAB), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ecfx, gyrB). In a parallel lab study, the effect of irrigating an agricultural soil with secondary, chlorinated, or dechlorinated wastewater effluent was examined in batch microcosms. A broader range of ARGs were detected after the reclaimed water passed through the distribution systems, highlighting the importance of considering bacterial re-growth and the overall water quality at the point of use (POU). Screening for pathogens with qPCR indicated presence of Lmip and gadAB genes, but not ecfx or gyrB. In the lab study, chlorination was observed to reduce 16S rRNA and sul2 gene copies in the wastewater effluent, while dechlorination had no apparent effect. ARGs levels did not change with time in soil slurries incubated after a single irrigation event with any of the effluents. However, when irrigated repeatedly with secondary wastewater effluent (not chlorinated or dechlorinated), elevated levels of sul1 and sul2 were observed. This study suggests that reclaimed water may be an important reservoir of ARGs, especially at the POU, and that attention should be directed toward the fate of ARGs in irrigation water and the implications for human health.en
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was funded by the Virginia Tech Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science Award TSTS 11-26 and NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates site award #1062860. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.en
dc.description.sponsorshipVirginia Tech Open Access Subventions Funden
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.extent? - ? (10) page(s)en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationFahrenfeld, N. L., Y. Ma, M. O'Brien and A. Pruden (2013). "Reclaimed water as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes: distribution system and irrigation implications." Frontiers in Microbiology 4.en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00130en
dc.identifier.issn1664-302Xen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/75297en
dc.identifier.volume4en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherFrontiersen
dc.relation.urihttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000331125700002&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=930d57c9ac61a043676db62af60056c1en
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unporteden
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/en
dc.subjectMicrobiologyen
dc.subjectantibiotic resistance genesen
dc.subjectwater reuseen
dc.subjectreclaimed water distribution systemsen
dc.subjectirrigationen
dc.subjectWASTE-WATERen
dc.subjectTETRACYCLINE RESISTANCEen
dc.subjectPSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSAen
dc.subjectACTIVATED-SLUDGEen
dc.subjectUNITED-STATESen
dc.subjectBACTERIAen
dc.subjectPCRen
dc.subjectQUANTIFICATIONen
dc.subjectIDENTIFICATIONen
dc.subjectDISINFECTIONen
dc.titleReclaimed water as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes: distribution system and irrigation implicationsen
dc.title.serialFrontiers in Microbiologyen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Techen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/All T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Engineeringen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Engineering/Civil & Environmental Engineeringen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Engineering/COE T&R Facultyen

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