Relationship between antibiotic resistance genes and metals in residential soil samples from Western Australia.
Increasing drug-resistant infections have drawn research interest towards examining environmental bacteria and the discovery that many factors, including elevated metal conditions, contribute to proliferation of antibiotic resistance (AR). This study examined 90 garden soils from Western Australia to evaluate predictions of antibiotic resistance genes from total metal conditions by comparing the concentrations of 12 metals and 13 genes related to tetracycline, beta-lactam and sulphonamide resistance. Relationships existed between metals and genes, but trends varied. All metals, except Se and Co, were related to at least one AR gene in terms of absolute gene numbers, but only Al, Mn and Pb were associated with a higher percentage of soil bacteria exhibiting resistance, which is a possible indicator of population selection. Correlations improved when multiple factors were considered simultaneously in a multiple linear regression model, suggesting the possibility of additive effects occurring. Soil-metal concentrations must be considered when determining risks of AR in the environment and the proliferation of resistance.
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, G1 1XJ, UK. charles.knapp@strath.ac.uk.
Charles W
CW
Knapp
School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Anna C
AC
Callan
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, G1 1XJ, UK.
Beatrice
B
Aitken
Centre for Ecosystem Management, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Rylan
R
Shearn
Centre for Ecosystem Management, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Annette
A
Koenders
Centre for Ecosystem Management, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Andrea
A
Hinwood
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology; D014904:Western Australia
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D013752:Tetracycline
Antibiotic resistance; Antimicrobial resistance; Garden soil; Toxic heavy metal; qPCR