Tetracycline as a selector for resistant bacteria in activated sludge.
Tetracycline, one of the most widely used antibiotics, is excreted into wastewater after consumption by humans and animals. The focus of this research was to evaluate the fate of tetracycline resistant bacteria in the activated sludge process as a function of tetracycline loading. The studies were conducted with aerobic biological sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). When comparing 250 microgl(-1) tetracycline fed SBRs with parallel SBRs having a background influent wastewater tetracycline concentration of approximately 1 microgl(-1), tetracycline fed reactors were found to have increased concentrations and production rates of tetracycline resistant bacteria, higher net growth rates of resistant bacteria, and higher percentages of tetracycline resistant bacteria, which were amplified by increase in organic loading and growth rates.
Kim
Sungpyo
S
Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering, 212 Ketter Hall, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, United States. sungpyo.kim@gmail.com
Jensen
James N
JN
Aga
Diana S
DS
Weber
A Scott
AS
D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D009518:New York; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000633:toxicity*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D013752:Tetracycline