Characteristics of the antibiotic resistance genes in the soil of medical waste disposal sites

Unveiling soil-borne antibiotic resistome and their associated risks: A comparative study of antibiotic and non-antibiotic pharmaceutical factories

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) are extensively documented within antibiotic pharmaceutical factories. Notably, non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals also represent a significant portion of the pharmaceuticals market. However, the comparative analyses of soil-borne ARG profiles and associated risks in different categories of pharmaceutical factories remain limited. This study conducted metagenomic sequencing on soil samples collected from both antibiotic and non-antibiotic pharmaceutical factories, alongside isolated ARB from soil, wastewater, groundwater, and air. Our results indicated the significant discrepancies in soil-borne ARG profiles, comprising abundance, diversity, and composition, in different categories of pharmaceutical factories (P < 0.05), which mainly driven by antibiotic residues. Significantly, bacterial pathogens were the important soil-borne ARG hosts, potentially posing risks to human health. In addition, the full-length nucleotide sequences of sul1, tetA, and TEM-1 were similar among soil, wastewater, groundwater, and air, suggesting the cross-media ARG dissemination within pharmaceutical settings. Through macrophage and Galleria mellonella infection models, the isolated antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli strains possessed relatively high virulence. Overall, the findings provide valuable insights into the discrepancies in soil-borne ARG profiles and associated risks across different types of pharmaceutical factories, offering critical data for the targeted prevention and control of soil-borne ARG contamination in pharmaceutical production settings.

Recent advances in environmental antibiotic resistance genes detection and research focus: From genes to ecosystems

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) persistence and potential harm have become more widely recognized in the environment due to its fast-paced research. However, the bibliometric review on the detection, research hotspot, and development trend of environmental ARGs has not been widely conducted. It is essential to provide a comprehensive overview of the last 30 years of research on environmental ARGs to clarify the changes in the research landscape and ascertain future prospects. This study presents a visualized analysis of data from the Web of Science to enhance our understanding of ARGs. The findings indicate that solid-phase extraction provides a reliable method for extracting ARG. Technological advancements in commercial kits and microfluidics have facilitated the efficacy of ARGs extraction with significantly reducing processing times. PCR and its derivatives, DNA sequencing, and multi-omics technology are the prevalent methodologies for ARGs detection, enabling the expansion of ARG research from individual strains to more intricate microbial communities in the environment. Furthermore, due to the development of combination, hybridization and mass spectrometer technologies, considerable advancements have been achieved in terms of sensitivity and accuracy as well as lowering the cost of ARGs detection. Currently, high-frequency terms such as "Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotics, and Metagenomics" are the center of attention for study in this area. Prominent topics include the investigation of anthropogenic impacts on environmental resistance, as well as the dynamics of migration, dissemination, and adaptation of environmental ARGs, etc. The research on environmental ARGs has made significant advancements in the fields of "Microbiology" and "Biotechnology Applied Microbiology". Over the past decade, there has been a notable increase in the fields of "Environmental Sciences Ecology" and "Engineering" with a similar growth trend observed in "Water Resources". These three domains are expected to continue driving extensive study within the realm of environmental ARGs.

Current examining methods and mathematical models of horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment has garnered significant attention due to their health risk to human beings. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is considered as an important way for ARG dissemination. There are four general routes of HGT, including conjugation, transformation, transduction and vesiduction. Selection of appropriate examining methods is crucial for comprehensively understanding characteristics and mechanisms of different HGT ways. Moreover, combined with the results obtained from different experimental methods, mathematical models could be established and serve as a powerful tool for predicting ARG transfer dynamics and frequencies. However, current reviews of HGT for ARG spread mainly focus on its influencing factors and mechanisms, overlooking the important roles of examining methods and models. This review, therefore, delineated four pathways of HGT, summarized the strengths and limitations of current examining methods, and provided a comprehensive summing-up of mathematical models pertaining to three main HGT ways of conjugation, transformation and transduction. Finally, deficiencies in current studies were discussed, and proposed the future perspectives to better understand and assess the risks of ARG dissemination through HGT.

The distribution profiles of tetracycline resistance genes in rice: Comparisons using four genotypes

The potential transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from the rhizosphere to plants and humans poses a significant concern. This study aims to investigate the distribution of tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs) in rice using four genotypes and identify the primary source of TRGs in grains. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed to determine the abundance of seven TRGs and intI1 in four rice varieties and three partitions during the jointing and heading stages, respectively. The analysis of the bacterial community was conducted to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the profiles of TRGs. It was observed that tetZ was predominantly present in the rhizosphere and endoroot, whereas tetX became dominant in grains. The relative abundances of TRGs and intI1 exhibited significant variations across both the variety and partition. However, no significant differences were observed in grains, where the abundances of TRGs were several orders of magnitude lower compared to those in the rhizosphere. Nevertheless, the potential risk of the dissemination of TRGs to humans, particularly those carried by potential pathogens in grains, warrants attention. The increased likelihood of TRGs accumulation in the rhizosphere and endoroot of hybrid rice varieties, as opposed to japonica varieties, may be attributed to the heightened metabolic activities of their roots. The significant associations observed between intI1 and TRGs, coupled with the substantial alterations in potential hosts for intI1 across various treatments, indicate that intI1-mediated horizontal gene transfer plays a role in the diverse range of bacterial hosts for TRGs. The study also revealed that rhizosphere bacteria during the jointing stage serve as the primary contributors of TRGs in grains through the endoroot junction. The findings indicate that Japonica rice varieties exhibit superior control over TRGs compared to hybrid varieties, emphasizing the need for early interventions throughout the entire growth period of rice.

Antibiotic resistance profiles of gut microbiota across various primate species in Guangxi

Introduction

Understanding the gut microbiota and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) profiles in non-human primates (NHPs) is crucial for evaluating their potential impact on human health and the environment.

Methods

In this study, we performed metagenomic analysis of 203 primate fecal samples, including nine NHP species and humans, to comprehensively characterize their gut microbiota and ARGs.

Results

Our study reveals the prevailing phyla in primates as Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Euryarchaeota, and Proteobacteria. The captive NHPs exhibited higher ARG abundance compared to their wild counterparts, with tetracycline and beta-lactam resistance genes prevailing. Notably, ARG subtypes in Trachypithecus leucocephalus (T. leucocephalus) residing in karst limestone habitats displayed a more dispersed distribution compared to other species. Interestingly, ARG profiles of NHPs clustered based on geographic location and captivity status. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed intricate correlations between ARG subtypes and bacterial taxa. Procrustes analysis unveiled a significant correlation between ARGs and microbial phylogenetic community structure. Taxonomic composition analysis further highlighted differences in microbial abundance among NHPs and humans.

Discussion

Our study underscores the impact of lifestyle and geographical location on NHP gut microbiota and ARGs, providing essential insights into the potential risks posed by NHPs to antibiotic resistance dissemination. This comprehensive analysis enhances our understanding of the interplay between NHPs and the gut resistome, offering a critical reference for future research on antibiotic resistance and host-microbe interactions.

Impact of the microbiome on human, animal, and environmental health from a One Health perspective

The microbiome encompasses the genomes of the microorganisms that inhabit specific environments. One Health is an emerging concept, recognised as a cohesive, harmonising approach aimed at sustainably improving the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment. The microbiome plays a crucial role in the One Health domain, facilitating interactions among humans, animals, and the environment, along with co-evolution, co-development, co-metabolism, and co-regulation with their associated humans and animals. In addition, the microbiome regulates environmental health through interactions with plant microbiota, which actively participate in substance cycling (particularly the carbon and nitrogen cycles) and influence the overall energy flow in the biosphere. Moreover, antibiotic resistance genes present in microbiota can lead to widespread drug resistance in both humans and animals. This review explores the impact of the microbiome on humans, animals, and the environment, highlighting the significance of focusing on this field in One Health research.

Healthcare Waste-A Serious Problem for Global Health

Healthcare waste (HCW) is generated in different healthcare facilities (HCFs), such as hospitals, laboratories, veterinary clinics, research centres and nursing homes. It has been assessed that the majority of medical waste does not pose a risk to humans. It is estimated that 15% of the total amount of produced HCW is hazardous and can be infectious, toxic or radioactive. Hazardous waste is a special type of waste which, if not properly treated, can pose a risk to human health and to the environment. HCW contains potentially harmful microorganisms that can be spread among healthcare personnel, hospital patients and the general public, causing serious illnesses. Healthcare personnel are the specialists especially exposed to this risk. The most common medical procedure, which pose the highest risk, is injection (i.e, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intravenous, taking blood samples). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 16 billion injections are administered worldwide each year. However, if safety precautions are not followed, and needles and syringes are not properly disposed of, the risk of sharps injuries increases among medical staff, waste handlers and waste collectors. What is more, sharps injuries increase the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV/HCV), tuberculosis (TB), diphtheria, malaria, syphilis, brucellosis and other transmissions. Disposing of medical waste in a landfill without segregation and processing will result in the entry of harmful microorganisms, chemicals or pharmaceuticals into soil and groundwater, causing their contamination. Open burning or incinerator malfunctioning will result in the emission of toxic substances, such as dioxins and furans, into the air. In order to reduce the negative impact of medical waste, waste management principles should be formulated. To minimize health risks, it is also important to build awareness among health professionals and the general public through various communication and educational methods. The aim of this paper is to present a general overwiev of medical waste, its categories, the principles of its management and the risks to human health and the environment resulting from inappropriate waste management.

Captivity and geography influence the antibiotic resistome of non-human primates

INTRODUCTION

Antibiotic resistance poses a serious threat for animals and humans health worldwide. Yet a comprehensive exploration of the influence of captivity and geography on non-human primate (NPH) gut antibiotic resistance remains incomplete.

METHODS

In this study, 131 metagenomic sequencing datasets of five species of NHPs included different regions and lifestyles were selected to perform the antibiotic resistance analysis.

RESULTS

Nineteen related resistance antibiotics and 325 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were obtained. A significantly higher abundance and diversity index of ARGs in the captive NHPs than in the wild was found but not for all of the samples. The biomarker-tracking of ARGs analysis identified key ARGs related to aminoglycoside resistance genes and tetracycline resistance genes.

DISCUSSION

These results suggest that captivity and geography changes associated with human activities can lead to marked changes in the ecology of the NHP gut flora ARGs.

Metagenomic insights into the antibiotic resistome in freshwater and seawater from an Antarctic ice-free area

The comprehensive profiles of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the Antarctic water environments and their potential health risks are not well understood. The present study characterized the bacterial community compositions and ARG profiles of freshwater (11 samples) and seawater (28 samples) around the Fildes Region (an ice-free area in Antarctica) using a shotgun metagenomic sequencing approach for the first time. There were significant differences in the compositions of the bacterial community and ARG profiles between freshwater and seawater. In the 39 water samples, 114 ARG subtypes belonging to 15 ARG types were detectable. In freshwater, the dominant ARGs were related to multidrug and rifamycin resistance. In seawater, the dominant ARGs were related to peptide, multidrug, and beta-lactam resistance. Both the bacterial community compositions and ARG profiles were significantly related to certain physicochemical properties (e.g., pH, salinity, NO₃^-). Procrustes analysis revealed a significant correlation between the bacterial community compositions and ARG profiles of freshwater and seawater samples. A total of 31 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) carrying 35 ARG subtypes were obtained and identified. The results will contribute to a better evaluation of the ARG contamination in relation to human health in the Antarctic aquatic environments.

Metagenomic analysis of microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes in spoiled household chemicals

Numerous attempts have been utilized to unveil the occurrences of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in human-associated and non-human-associated samples. However, spoiled household chemicals, which are usually neglected by the public, may be also a reservoir of ARGs because of the excessive and inappropriate uses of industrial drugs. Based upon the Comprehensive Antibiotic Research Database, a metagenomic sequencing method was utilized to detect and quantify Antibiotic Resistance Ontology (AROs) in six spoiled household chemicals, including hair conditioner, dishwashing detergent, bath shampoo, hand sanitizer, and laundry detergent. Proteobacteria was found to be the dominant phylum in all the samples. Functional annotation of the unigenes obtained against the KEGG pathway, eggNOG and CAZy databases demonstrated a diversity of their functions. Moreover, 186 types of AROs that were members of 72 drug classes were identified. Multidrug resistance genes were the most dominant types, and there were 17 AROs whose resistance mechanisms were categorized into the resistance-nodulation-cell division antibiotic efflux pump among the top 20 AROs. Moreover, Proteobacteria was the dominant carrier of AROs with the primary resistance mechanism of antibiotic efflux. The maximum temperature of the months of collection significantly affected the distributions of AROs. Additionally, the isolated individual bacterium from spoiled household chemicals and artificial mixed communities of isolated bacteria demonstrated diverse resistant abilities to different biocides. This study demonstrated that there are abundant microorganisms and a broad spectrum profile of AROs in spoiled household chemicals that might induce a severe threat to public healthy securities and merit particular attention.

Planning for disposal of COVID-19 pandemic wastes in developing countries: a review of current challenges

The health sector is critical to the well-being of any country, but developing countries have several obstacles that prevent them from providing adequate health care. This became an even larger concern after the COVID-19 outbreak left millions of people dead worldwide and generated huge amounts of infected or potentially infected wastes. The management and disposal of medical wastes during and post-COVID-19 represent a major challenge in all countries, but this challenge is particularly great for developing countries that do not have robust waste disposal infrastructure. The main problems in developing countries include inefficient treatment procedures, limited capacity of healthcare facilities, and improper waste disposal procedures. The management of medical wastes in most developing countries was primitive prior to the pandemic. The improper treatment and disposal of these wastes in our current situation may further speed COVID-19 spread, creating a serious risk for workers in the medical and sanitation fields, patients, and all of society. Therefore, there is a critical need to discuss emerging challenges in handling, treating, and disposing of medical wastes in developing countries during and after the COVID-19 outbreak. There is a need to determine best disposal techniques given the conditions and limitations under which developing countries operate. Several open questions need to be investigated concerning this global issue, such as to what extent developing countries can control the expected environmental impacts of COVID-19, particularly those related to medical wastes? What are the projected management scenarios for medical wastes under the COVID-19 outbreak? And what are the major environmental risks posed by contaminated wastes related to COVID-19 treatment? Studies directed at the questions above, careful planning, the use of large capacity mobile recycling facilities, and following established guidelines for disposal of medical wastes should reduce risk of COVID-19 spread in developing countries.

Consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on solid waste management: Scenarios pertaining to developing countries

Undoubtedly the most searched and spoken word of last year is coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which initially originated in Wuhan, China near the end of 2019. COVID-19 is a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Albeit almost all countries shut down their borders to prevent rapid spread of the virus. However, the number of cases continues to increase in developing countries at a faster rate due to community and cluster transmission. The severity of this epidemic made it a pandemic as it progressed to over 200 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO), governments, and national disease control and prevention units worked together to break the chain and are working to contain the catastrophic impact of COVID-19. They formulated and recommended various guidelines like social distancing, frequent hand washing, and social distancing to inhibit the spread of the virus. WHO also advised that the general population and medical personnel wear face masks, face shields, gloves, and aprons. As a result, this waste category has substantially increased and, if not disposed of properly, may cause the infection or help to catalyze COVID-19. In developing countries, poor solid waste management may aggravate chances of spreading COVID-19. Sustainable solid waste management is a critical parameter for the health, wellbeing, and development of society. The measures adopted to contain and restrict the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and minimize the degrees of freedom in commercial events affected solid waste management considerably. During this crucial time, the services provided by waste management agencies and personnel are invaluable and these services help to prevent the improper disposal of waste, which may lead to health risks due to the spread of COVID. COVID-19 is a new and novel virus and experts are learning more about it overtime and with evolving science. This review paper provides insight into different types of solid wastes generated during the pandemic, their consequences, and the implication of various policies.

Environmental survival of SARS-CoV-2 - A solid waste perspective

The advent of COVID-19 has kept the whole world on their toes. Countries are maximizing their efforts to combat the virus and to minimize the infection. Since infectious microorganisms may be transmitted by variety of routes, respiratory and facial protection is required for those that are usually transmitted via droplets/aerosols. Therefore this pandemic has caused a sudden increase in the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks, and many other important items since, the evidence of individual-to-individual transmission (through respiratory droplets/coughing) and secondary infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). But the disposal of these personal protective measures remains a huge question mark towards the environmental impact. Huge waste generation demands proper segregation according to waste types, collection, and recycling to minimize the risk of infection spread through aerosols and attempts to implement measures to monitor infections. Hence, this review focuses on the impact of environment due to improper disposal of these personal protective measures and to investigate the safe disposal methods for these protective measures by using the safe, secure and innovative biological methods such as the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Ultraviolet (UV) lights for killing such deadly viruses.

The Implications and Effects of Medical Waste on Development of Sustainable Society—A Brief Review of the Literature

The sustainable development of humanity imposes precise norms regarding the management of natural resources, their extraction, use, and the introduction in a complex, innovative circuit of the waste resulting from exploitation. The paper deals with some aspects related to the sustainable management of general medical waste on the one hand and the medical waste specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand. Medical waste requires special treatment given its impact on the environment and on humanity. The management of activities related to its storage, transport, destruction is an important point in the sustainable development of mankind, especially in the current context of the pandemic. Medical waste is in a continuous increase in quantity and involves many effects in various activity fields. Through a scientometric study in the Web of Science—WOS database, the authors identify clusters of keywords, analyze the articles identified in the WOS and identify the main research directions and existing concepts. Corroborating and interpreting the results obtained, three significant trends of approach to medical waste are identified: M—management (1); E—exposure (2); and D—distribution (3). An extensive map of the concepts is made, a narrow map of the concepts used, and a theoretical map of the concepts. The link between medical waste and the development of a sustainable society is demonstrated, and it is possible to open new research directions. The scientometric research undertaken on 1192 WOS articles that were published in 2020 led to the selection of 32, focused on issues related to hazardous medical waste, especially of COVID-19 patients. Following this approach, the authors were able to see, by comparison, the different forms of management of this waste in different countries, thus being able to contribute to the creation of procedures for the collection, storage, and destruction of this hazardous waste, with direct influence on the environment.

Consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on solid waste management: Scenarios pertaining to developing countries

Undoubtedly the most searched and spoken word of last year is coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which initially originated in Wuhan, China near the end of 2019. COVID-19 is a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Albeit almost all countries shut down their borders to prevent rapid spread of the virus. However, the number of cases continues to increase in developing countries at a faster rate due to community and cluster transmission. The severity of this epidemic made it a pandemic as it progressed to over 200 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO), governments, and national disease control and prevention units worked together to break the chain and are working to contain the catastrophic impact of COVID-19. They formulated and recommended various guidelines like social distancing, frequent hand washing, and social distancing to inhibit the spread of the virus. WHO also advised that the general population and medical personnel wear face masks, face shields, gloves, and aprons. As a result, this waste category has substantially increased and, if not disposed of properly, may cause the infection or help to catalyze COVID-19. In developing countries, poor solid waste management may aggravate chances of spreading COVID-19. Sustainable solid waste management is a critical parameter for the health, wellbeing, and development of society. The measures adopted to contain and restrict the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and minimize the degrees of freedom in commercial events affected solid waste management considerably. During this crucial time, the services provided by waste management agencies and personnel are invaluable and these services help to prevent the improper disposal of waste, which may lead to health risks due to the spread of COVID. COVID-19 is a new and novel virus and experts are learning more about it overtime and with evolving science. This review paper provides insight into different types of solid wastes generated during the pandemic, their consequences, and the implication of various policies.