Antibiotic resistance genes in water environment.
The use of antibiotics may accelerate the development of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and bacteria which shade health risks to humans and animals. The emerging of ARGs in the water environment is becoming an increasing worldwide concern. Hundreds of various ARGs encoding resistance to a broad range of antibiotics have been found in microorganisms distributed not only in hospital wastewaters and animal production wastewaters, but also in sewage, wastewater treatment plants, surface water, groundwater, and even in drinking water. This review summarizes recently published information on the types, distributions, and horizontal transfer of ARGs in various aquatic environments, as well as the molecular methods used to detect environmental ARGs, including specific and multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction), real-time PCR, DNA sequencing, and hybridization based techniques.
Zhang
Xu-Xiang
XX
Environmental Biotechnology Lab,Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Zhang
Tong
T
Fang
Herbert H P
HH
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D005821:Genetic Techniques; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins