title: Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci and Bacterial Community Structure following a Sewage Spill into an Aquatic Environment.
abstract: Sewage spills can release antibiotic-resistant bacteria into surface waters, contributing to environmental reservoirs and potentially impacting human health. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are nosocomial pathogens that have been detected in environmental habitats, including soil, water, and beach sands, as well as wildlife feces. However, VRE harboring vanA genes that confer high-level resistance have infrequently been found outside clinical settings in the United States. This study found culturable Enterococcus faecium harboring the vanA gene in water and sediment for up to 3 days after a sewage spill, and the quantitative PCR (qPCR) signal for vanA persisted for an additional week. Culturable levels of enterococci in water exceeded recreational water guidelines for 2 weeks following the spill, declining about five orders of magnitude in sediments and two orders of magnitude in the water column over 6 weeks. Analysis of bacterial taxa via 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed changes in community structure through time following the sewage spill in sediment and water. The spread of opportunistic pathogens harboring high-level vancomycin resistance genes beyond hospitals and into the broader community and associated habitats is a potential threat to public health, requiring further studies that examine the persistence, occurrence, and survival of VRE in different environmental matrices.
  
  
  
  Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are harmful bacteria that are resistant to the powerful antibiotic vancomycin, which is used as a last resort against many infections. This study followed the release of VRE in a major sewage spill and their persistence over time. Such events can act as a means of spreading vancomycin-resistant bacteria in the environment, which can eventually impact human health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Bina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nayak
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Badgley
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rohr
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA vharwood@usf.edu.
authors.forename: Valerie J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Harwood
mesh_terms: D058491:Bacterial Load; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D056226:Bacterial Structures; D058448:Biota; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012722:Sewage; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States; D065507:Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014876:Water Pollution
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012722:Sewage; C071437:VanA ligase, Bacteria; D019729:Carbon-Oxygen Ligases