Antibiotic pollution in the Katari subcatchment of the Titicaca Lake: Major transformation products and occurrence of resistance genes.
An increasing number of studies pointed out the ubiquitous presence of medical residues in surface and ground water as well as in soil compartments. Not only antibiotics can be found in the environment but also their transformation products about which little information is generally available. The development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is particularly worrying as it can lead to sanitary and health problems. Studies about the dissemination of antibiotics and associated resistances in the Bolivian Altiplano are scarce. We provide baseline information on the occurrence of Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and Trimethoprim (TMP) antibiotics as well as on the most common human SMX transformation products (TP) and on the occurrence of sulfonamide resistance genes. The studied water and soil compartments presented high levels of antibiotic pollution. This situation was shown to be mainly linked with uncontrolled discharges of treated and untreated wastewaters, resulting on the presence of antibiotics in the Titicaca Lake. SMX TPs were detected in surface waters and on soil sampled next to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). SMX resistance genes sulI and sulII were widely detected in the basin hydrological network, even in areas unpolluted with antibiotics. Mechanisms of co-selection of antibiotic- and metal- resistance may be involved in the prevalence of ARG's in pristine areas with no anthropogenic activity and free of antibiotic pollution.
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT), México, D.F., Mexico; ERNO, Instituto de Geologia, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Electronic address: darchundia@geologia.unam.mx.
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Archundia
Université Grenoble Alpes, LTHE, F38000 Grenoble, France; IRD, LTHE, F38000 Grenoble, France.
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Duwig
Université Grenoble Alpes, LTHE, F38000 Grenoble, France.
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F
Lehembre
UMR HydroSciences 5569, Montpellier University, 15 Avenue Ch. Flahault, 34093 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
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Chiron
CNAM, Laboratoire d'analyses chimiques et bio analyses, Paris Cedex 3, France.
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MC
Morel
Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F., Mexico.
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B
Prado
INRA AgroParisTech UMR ECOSYS, Bat. EGER Thiverval-Grignon, F-78850 Paris, France.
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Bourdat-Deschamps
Université Grenoble Alpes, LTHE, F38000 Grenoble, France.
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Vince
MMAyA, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Agua (Ministry of Water and Environment of Bolivia), La Paz, Bolivia.
G Flores
GF
Aviles
Université Grenoble Alpes, LTHE, F38000 Grenoble, France; CNRS, LTHE, F38000 Grenoble, France.
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JMF
Martins
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D001838:Bolivia; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D060106:Lakes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000032:analysis; D014295:Trimethoprim / Q000032:analysis; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole; D014295:Trimethoprim; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Altiplano; Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs); Soil; Sulfamethoxazole; Trimethoprim; Water