Excesses of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which are regarded as emerging environmental pollutants, have been observed in various environments. The incidence of ARGs in drinking water causes ...potential risks to human health and receives more attention from the public. However, ARGs harbored in drinking water remain largely unexplored. In this study, we aimed at establishing an antibiotic resistome catalogue in drinking water samples from a wide range of regions and to explore the potential hosts of ARGs.
A catalogue of antibiotic resistome in drinking water was established, and the host-tracking of ARGs was conducted through a large-scale survey using metagenomic approach. The drinking water samples were collected at the point of use in 25 cities in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Africa, Singapore and the USA. In total, 181 ARG subtypes belonging to 16 ARG types were detected with an abundance range of 2.8 × 10
to 4.2 × 10
copies of ARG per cell. The highest abundance was found in northern China (Henan Province). Bacitracin, multidrug, aminoglycoside, sulfonamide, and beta-lactam resistance genes were dominant in drinking water. Of the drinking water samples tested, 84% had a higher ARG abundance than typical environmental ecosystems of sediment and soil. Metagenomic assembly-based host-tracking analysis identified Acidovorax, Acinetobacter, Aeromonas, Methylobacterium, Methyloversatilis, Mycobacterium, Polaromonas, and Pseudomonas as the hosts of ARGs. Moreover, potential horizontal transfer of ARGs in drinking water systems was proposed by network and Procrustes analyses.
The antibiotic resistome catalogue compiled using a large-scale survey provides a useful reference for future studies on the global surveillance and risk management of ARGs in drinking water. .
China is one of the major global consumers of veterinary antibiotics. Insufficient recognition of emissions and environmental contamination hamper global efforts to prevent antibiotic resistance ...development. This pioneering study combined empirical data and modeling approaches to predict total 2010–2020 emissions of 80 veterinary antibiotics ranging from 23,110 to 40,850 tonnes/year, after 36–50% antibiotic removal by manure treatment. Following an initial increase of 10% from 2010 to 2015, emissions declined thereafter by 43%. While 85% of emissions discharged into soils, approximately 56%, 23%, and 18% of environmental residue were ultimately distributed in soils, freshwaters, and seawaters under steady-state conditions. In 2020, 657 (319–1470) tonnes entered the ocean from inland freshwaters. Median ∑antibiotics concentrations were estimated at 4.7 × 103 ng/L in freshwaters and 2.9 ng/g in soils, with tetracyclines and sulfonamides as the predominant components. We identified 44 veterinary antibiotics potentially posing high risks of resistance development in freshwaters, with seven exhibiting high risks in >10% of Chinese freshwater areas. Tetracyclines were the category with the most antibiotics exhibiting elevated risks; however, sulfamethylthiazole demonstrated the highest individual compound risk. The Haihe River Basin displayed the highest susceptibility overall. The findings offer valuable support for control of veterinary antibiotic contamination in China.
The increased use of antibiotics by humans for various purposes has left the environment polluted. Antibiotic pollution remediation is challenging because antibiotics exist in trace amounts and only ...highly sensitive detection techniques could be used to quantify them. Nevertheless, their trace quantity is not a hindrance to their transfer along the food chain, causing sensitization and the development of antibiotic resistance. Despite an increase in the literature on antibiotic pollution and the development and transfer of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs), little attention has been given to the behavior of antibiotics at the soil-solution interface and how this affects antibiotic adsorption-desorption interactions and subsequent uptake and transformation by plants. Thus, this review critically examines the interactions and possible degradation mechanisms of antibiotics in soil and the link between antibiotic soil-solution chemistry and uptake by plants. Also, different factors influencing antibiotic mobility in soil and the transfer of ARGs from one organism to another were considered. The mechanistic and critical analyses revealed that: (a) the charge characteristics of antibiotics at the soil-root interface determine whether they are adsorbed to soil or taken up by plants; (b) antibiotics that avoid soil colloids and reach soil pore water can be absorbed by plant roots, but their translocation to the stem and leaves depends on the ionic state of the molecule; (c) few studies have explored how plants adapt to antibiotic pollution and the transformation of antibiotics in plants; and (d) the persistence of antibiotics in cropland soils can be influenced by the content of soil organic matter, coexisting ions, and fertilization practices. Future research should focus on the soil/solution-antibiotic-plant interactions to reveal detailed mechanisms of antibiotic transformation by plants and whether plant-transformed antibiotics could be of environmental risk.
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•Soil-solution chemistry greatly affects antibiotics sorption-desorption processes.•The charge state of antibiotics determines whether they are adsorbed or taken up by plants.•Ionic partitioning of antibiotics controls transport, uptake, and transformation by plants.•Soil fertilization practices have significant effects on antibiotics uptake by plants.•Organic matter and heavy metals alter antibiotic sorption, persistence, and bioavailability.
Abstract
Persisters are transiently tolerant variants that allow populations to avoid eradication by antibiotic treatment. Their antibiotic tolerance is non-genetic, not inheritable and results from ...a phenotypic switch from the normal, sensitive cell type to the tolerant, persister state. Here we give a comprehensive overview on bacterial persistence. We first define persistence, summarize the various aspects of persister physiology and show their heterogeneous nature. We then focus on the role of key cellular processes and mechanisms controlling the formation of a subpopulation of tolerant cells. Being a prime example of a risk-spreading strategy, we next discuss the eco-evolutionary aspects of persistence, e.g. how persistence evolves in the face of treatment with antibiotics. Finally, we illustrate the clinical importance of persisters, as persistence is worsening the worldwide antibiotic crisis by prolonging antibiotic treatment, causing therapy failure or catalyzing the development of genetically encoded antibiotic resistance. A better understanding of this phenotype is critical in our fight against pathogenic bacteria and to obtain a better outlook on future therapies.
Drug-tolerant persisters arise by various mechanisms, causing therapy failure and contributing to the ongoing antibiotic crisis.
Since the introduction of antibiotics into clinical practices in the 1940s, antibiotics have become an integral part of animal production to meet the increasing human demand for animal-derived foods. ...As a result, industrial-scale animal production has emerged as a hotspot for the evolution and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), thereby potentially contributing to a looming public health crisis. The knowledge of ARGs in livestock systems has been greatly expanded with the recent development of rapid molecular tools. However, comprehensive reviews on ARGs in the animal industry and possible mitigation solutions are still lacking from a One Health perspective. Here we provide this review focusing on human health risks associated with the antimicrobial (antibiotic and metal) usages, ARGs in livestock animals and aquaculture systems in a One Health perspective to untangle the complexities of ARGs across animals, environments and humans. Specifically, this review covers (1) antimicrobials usages in the animal industry, (2) ARGs in animals affected by selective agents, (3) animal-to-human direct/indirect ARG transmission pathways, and (4) mitigation approaches. We highlighted the burden of using antimicrobials in animals for public and environmental health, and also the urgent needs for mitigating the spread of antibiotic resistance from the livestock and aquaculture industries.
Antibiotic resistance is a global health concern and a current threat to modern medicine and society. New strategies for antibiotic drug design and delivery offer a glimmer of hope in a currently ...limited pipeline of new antibiotics. One strategy involves conjugating iron-chelating microbial siderophores to an antibiotic or antimicrobial agent to enhance uptake and antibacterial potency. Cefiderocol (S-649266) is a promising cephalosporin-catechol conjugate currently in phase III clinical trials that utilizes iron-mediated active transport and demonstrates enhanced potency against multi-drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative pathogens. Such molecules demonstrate that siderophore-antibiotic conjugates could be important future medicines to add to our antibiotic arsenal. This review is written in the context of the chemical design of siderophore-antibiotic conjugates focusing on the differing siderophore, linker, and antibiotic components that make up conjugates. We selected chemically distinct siderophore-antibiotic conjugates as exemplary conjugates, rather than multiple analogues, to highlight findings to date. The review should offer a general guide to the uninitiated in the molecular design of siderophore-antibiotic conjugates.
Infections of antibiotic-resistant pathogens pose an ever-increasing threat to mankind. The investigation of novel approaches for tackling the antimicrobial resistance crisis must be part of any ...global response to this problem if an untimely reversion to the pre-penicillin era of medicine is to be avoided. One such promising avenue of research involves so-called antibiotic resistance breakers (ARBs), capable of re-sensitising resistant bacteria to antibiotics. Although some ARBs have previously been employed in the clinical setting, such as the β-lactam inhibitors, we posit that the broader field of ARB research can yet yield a greater diversity of more effective therapeutic agents than have been previously achieved. This review introduces the area of ARB research, summarises the current state of ARB development with emphasis on the various major classes of ARBs currently being investigated and their modes of action, and offers a perspective on the future direction of the field.
Antibiotic resistance in the environment Larsson, D G Joakim; Flach, Carl-Fredrik
Nature reviews. Microbiology,
05/2022, Letnik:
20, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Antibiotic resistance is a global health challenge, involving the transfer of bacteria and genes between humans, animals and the environment. Although multiple barriers restrict the flow of both ...bacteria and genes, pathogens recurrently acquire new resistance factors from other species, thereby reducing our ability to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Evolutionary events that lead to the emergence of new resistance factors in pathogens are rare and challenging to predict, but may be associated with vast ramifications. Transmission events of already widespread resistant strains are, on the other hand, common, quantifiable and more predictable, but the consequences of each event are limited. Quantifying the pathways and identifying the drivers of and bottlenecks for environmental evolution and transmission of antibiotic resistance are key components to understand and manage the resistance crisis as a whole. In this Review, we present our current understanding of the roles of the environment, including antibiotic pollution, in resistance evolution, in transmission and as a mere reflection of the regional antibiotic resistance situation in the clinic. We provide a perspective on current evidence, describe risk scenarios, discuss methods for surveillance and the assessment of potential drivers, and finally identify some actions to mitigate risks.
Tracking antibiotic consumption patterns over time and across countries could inform policies to optimize antibiotic prescribing and minimize antibiotic resistance, such as setting and enforcing per ...capita consumption targets or aiding investments in alternatives to antibiotics. In this study, we analyzed the trends and drivers of antibiotic consumption from 2000 to 2015 in 76 countries and projected total global antibiotic consumption through 2030. Between 2000 and 2015, antibiotic consumption, expressed in defined daily doses (DDD), increased 65% (21.1–34.8 billion DDDs), and the antibiotic consumption rate increased 39% (11.3–15.7 DDDs per 1,000 inhabitants per day). The increase was driven by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where rising consumption was correlated with gross domestic product per capita (GDPPC) growth (P = 0.004). In high-income countries (HICs), although overall consumption increased modestly, DDDs per 1,000 inhabitants per day fell 4%, and there was no correlation with GDPPC. Of particular concern was the rapid increase in the use of last-resort compounds, both in HICs and LMICs, such as glycylcyclines, oxazolidinones, carbapenems, and polymyxins. Projections of global antibiotic consumption in 2030, assuming no policy changes, were up to 200% higher than the 42 billion DDDs estimated in 2015. Although antibiotic consumption rates in most LMICs remain lower than in HICs despite higher bacterial disease burden, consumption in LMICs is rapidly converging to rates similar to HICs. Reducing global consumption is critical for reducing the threat of antibiotic resistance, but reduction efforts must balance access limitations in LMICs and take account of local and global resistance patterns.
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