title: Occurrence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Bacterial Markers in a Tropical River Receiving Hospital and Urban Wastewaters.
abstract: The occurrence of emerging biological contaminants including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and Faecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) is still little investigated in developing countries under tropical conditions. In this study, the total bacterial load, the abundance of FIB (E. coli and Enterococcus spp. (ENT)), Pseudomonas spp. and ARGs (blaTEM, blaCTX-M, blaSHV, blaNDM and aadA) were quantified using quantitative PCR in the total DNA extracted from the sediments recovered from hospital outlet pipes (HOP) and the Cauvery River Basin (CRB), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. The abundance of bacterial marker genes were 120, 104 and 89 fold higher for the E. coli, Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp., respectively at HOP when compared with CRB. The ARGs aadA and blaTEM were most frequently detected in higher concentration than other ARGs at all the sampling sites. The ARGs blaSHV and blaNDM were identified in CRB sediments contaminated by hospital and urban wastewaters. The ARGs abundance strongly correlated (r ≥ 0.36, p < 0.05, n = 45) with total bacterial load and E. coli in the sediments, indicating a common origin and extant source of contamination. Tropical aquatic ecosystems receiving wastewaters can act as reservoir of ARGs, which could potentially be transferred to susceptible bacterial pathogens at these sites.
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Institute F. A. Forel and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Naresh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Devarajan
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Institute F. A. Forel and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laffite
authors.affiliation: University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
authors.forename: Crispin Kyela
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Mulaji
authors.affiliation: Université Pédagogique Nationale (UPN), Croisement Route de Matadi et Avenue de la Libération, Quartier Binza/UPN, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Otamonga
authors.affiliation: University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
authors.forename: Pius Tshimankinda
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Mpiana
authors.affiliation: Université Pédagogique Nationale (UPN), Croisement Route de Matadi et Avenue de la Libération, Quartier Binza/UPN, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
authors.forename: Josué Ilunga
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Mubedi
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate and Research Department of Zoology, Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchirappalli-620020, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Kandasamy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Prabakar
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Institute F. A. Forel and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bastiaan Willem
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Ibelings
authors.affiliation: University of Geneva, Institute F. A. Forel and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland.|University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo.|Université Pédagogique Nationale (UPN), Croisement Route de Matadi et Avenue de la Libération, Quartier Binza/UPN, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poté
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D007194:India; D008506:Medical Waste; D014329:Tropical Climate; D062065:Wastewater / Q000382:microbiology*; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008506:Medical Waste; D062065:Wastewater