Occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in landfill leachate treatment plant and its effluent-receiving soil and surface water.
The antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from urban waste may spread to the environment with the discharge of leachate. Fifteen types of ARGs, including tetracycline, sulfonamides, AmpC β-lactamase and the class 1 integron gene were detected in the samples from the largest leachate treatment plant (LTP) in Guangzhou and its effluent receiving bodies (soil and surface water). The results showed that ARGs in leachates were in high levels and varied with seasons. The abundance of ARGs in the influent from high to low was in the turn of summer, winter, spring. About 2 to 4 orders of magnitude of ARGs were eliminated by the whole leachate treatment process. The predominant ARGs in the receiving soil were intI1, tetB, sul2, tetA and tetX, while those in the receiving surface water were sul2, intI1 and sul1, and the concentrations of ARGs in the receiving bodies were higher than those in the other natural bodies by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude. In addition, the results of bivariate correlation analysis showed that the abundances of ARGs (tetC, tetW, sul1, sul2, intI1 and FOX) were in significant correlation with the concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr) (p < 0.05). LTPs are more likely to be sources of ARGs than wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and need to be focused on.
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Xiao-Hua
XH
Zhang
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: hopeybxu@163.com.
Yan-Bin
YB
Xu
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Xiao-Lin
XL
He
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Lu
L
Huang
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Jia-Yin
JY
Ling
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Li
L
Zheng
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Qing-Ping
QP
Du
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics*; D032023:Integrons; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D001618:beta-Lactamases
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D062065:Wastewater; D014867:Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001618:beta-Lactamases; C048795:AmpC beta-lactamases
Antibiotics resistance genes (ARGs); Heavy metals; Landfill; Leachate treatment plants (LTPs); Receiving bodies