title: Sulfonamide antibiotics in the Northern Yellow Sea are related to resistant bacteria: implications for antibiotic resistance genes.
abstract: Antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) residues and the mode of transmission in marine environments remain unclear. The sulfonamide (SAs) concentrations, different genes and total bacterial abundance in seawater and sediment of the Northern Yellow Sea were analyzed. Results showed the genes sul I and sul II were present at relatively high concentrations in all samples, whereas the gene sul III was detected fewer. The ARGs concentrations in the sediment were 10(3) times higher than those in water, which indicated sediment was essential ARG reservoir. Statistical analysis revealed the total antibiotic concentration was positively correlated with the relative abundance of the gene sul I and sul II. The relative abundances of the gene sul I and the gene sul II were also correlated positively with those of the gene int1. This correlation demonstrated that SAs exerted selective pressure on these ARGs, whereas the gene int1 could be implicated in the propagation of the genes sul I and sul II in marine environments.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas (SOA), National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: gsna@nmemc.gov.cn.
authors.forename: Guangshui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Na
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas (SOA), National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China; Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Wanru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Dalian Institute of Science and Technology, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Shiyao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas (SOA), National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Zihao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Xian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Ruijing
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas (SOA), National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yaqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas (SOA), National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Ziwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013449:Sulfonamides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Antibiotic-resistance gene; Correlation; Resistant bacteria; Sulfonamide; The Northern Yellow Sea