Removal of denatured protein particles enhanced UASB treatment of oxytetracycline production wastewater

Distribution of antibiotic resistance genes on chromosomes, plasmids and phages in aerobic biofilm microbiota under antibiotic pressure

The objective of this study is to quantitatively reveal the main genetic carrier of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) for blocking their environmental dissemination. The distribution of ARGs in chromosomes, plasmids, and phages for understanding their respective contributions to the development of antimicrobial resistance in aerobic biofilm consortium under increasing stresses of oxytetracycline, streptomycin, and tigecycline were revealed based on metagenomics analysis. Results showed that the plasmids harbored 49.2 %-83.9 % of resistomes, which was higher (p < 0.001) than chromosomes (2.0 %-35.6 %), and no ARGs were detected in phage contigs under the strict alignment standard of over 80 % identity used in this study. Plasmids and chromosomes tended to encode different types of ARGs, whose abundances all increased with the hike of antibiotic concentrations, and the variety of ARGs encoded by plasmids (14 types and 64 subtypes) was higher than that (11 types and 27 subtypes) of chromosomes. The dosing of the three antibiotics facilitated the transposition and recombination of ARGs on plasmids, mediated by transposable and integrable transfer elements, which increased the co-occurrence of associated and unassociated ARGs. The results quantitatively proved that plasmids dominate the proliferation of ARGs in aerobic biofilm driven by antibiotic selection, which should be a key target for blocking ARG dissemination.

A Database on Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater and Solid Waste from Pharmaceutical Industry Based on a Systematic Review

Residual antimicrobial agents in wastewater and solid waste from antimicrobial manufacturing facilities can potentially contaminate environments. The World Health Organization has established technical guidelines for managing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in pharmaceutical wastewater and solid waste. However, the scarcity of publicly available data on antimicrobial manufacturing processes impedes the development of effective mitigation strategies. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a comprehensive database documenting antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in actual wastewater and solid waste samples, primarily fermentation residues. Through systematic review methodology, we compiled data from extensive searches of English-language article databases, including Web of Science and PubMed. The database contains data from 270 distinct samples collected across 45 fermentation residue treatment systems and 46 wastewater treatment systems, derived from 70 published English-language articles spanning 2008 to 2024. In operational pharmaceutical facilities, antibiotic concentrations ranged from 82 to 1,663 mg/L in raw wastewater and from 1,000 to 10,182 mg/kg dry matter (DM) in antibiotic fermentation residues. Various treatment technologies demonstrated significant reductions in both antibiotic concentrations and ARG levels within wastes. This database provides the first global perspective on antibiotic and ARG contamination from antibiotic production processes, supporting AMR management initiatives. It establishes a dynamic, continuously updated platform accessible to researchers and industry stakeholders via the link: https://dash.drwater.net/antiboard/.