Wastewater surveillance of antibiotic resistance and class 1 integron-integrase genes: Potential impact of wastewater characteristics on genes profile.

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a major global health concern, but current surveillance efforts primarily focus on healthcare settings, leaving a lack of understanding about AR across all sectors of the One Health approach. To bridge this gap, wastewater surveillance provides a cost-effective and efficient method for monitoring AR within a population. In this study, we implemented a surveillance program by monitoring the wastewater effluent from two large-scale municipal treatment plants situated in Isfahan, a central region of Iran. These treatment plants covered distinct catchment regions and served a combined population about two million of residents. Furthermore, the effect of physicochemical and microbial characteristics of wastewater effluent including biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), temperature, total coliforms and Escherichia coli concentration on the abundance of ARGs (blaCTX-M, tetW, sul1, cmlA, and ermB) and class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) were investigated. Sul1 and blaCTX-M were the most and least abundant ARGs in the two WWTPs, respectively. Principal Component Analysis showed that in both of the WWTPs all ARGs and intI1 gene abundance were positively correlated with effluent temperature, but all other effluent characteristics (BOD, COD, TSS, total coliforms and E. coli) showed no significant correlation with ARGs abundance. Temperature could affect the performance of conventional activated sludge process, which in turn could affect the abundance of ARGs. The results of this study suggest that other factors than BOD, COD and TSS may affect the ARGs abundance. The predicted AR could lead to development of effective interventions and policies to combat AR in the clinical settings. However, further research is needed to determine the relationship between the AR in wastewater and clinical settings as well as the effect of other influential factors on ARGs abundance.

Isotherm and kinetic studies on adsorption of gasoline and kerosene using jujube and barberry tree stem powder and commercially available activated carbon.

Herein, the application of granular activated carbon, jujube, and barberry tree stem powder for the removal of gasoline and kerosene from water was investigated. Kerosene removal rates upwards of 68.48, 83.87, and 99.02% were achieved using jujube tree stem powder, barberry tree stem powder, and granular activated carbon, respectively. Besides, gasoline removal rates upwards of 69.35, 55.02, and 95.59% were attained using jujube tree stem powder, barberry tree stem powder, and granular activated carbon, respectively. Isotherm data were further investigated and fitted using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Elovich models. The results indicated that the adsorption onto jujube adsorbent is a multilayer adsorption process over a heterogeneous surface, which is best illustrated by the Temkin (Ave. R2= 0.95) model. It was found that the Temkin isotherm (Ave. R2= 0.81) best describes the properties of barberry stem powder in the adsorption of gasoline and kerosene from water. Moreover, the best models to describe the characteristics of granular activated carbon in the adsorption of gasoline and kerosene from water were Freundlich (Ave. R2= 0.74) and Langmuir (Ave. R2= 0.73) isotherms, respectively. The adsorption kinetics showed that the pseudo-second-order was appropriate in modeling the adsorption kinetics of gasoline and kerosene to the studied adsorbents (R2>0.74).

The objective of this study was to identify the potential of agricultural biowastes derived biosorbents to remove petroleum products from contaminated water. Previously, jujube and barberry tree wastes had not been used to remove petroleum pollutants. Moreover, in this research agricultural wastes were used without any processing or energy consumption and all experiments were performed at water pH, so there was no need to add chemicals to adjust the pH.

Application of artificial neural network and dynamic adsorption models to predict humic substances extraction from municipal solid waste leachate.

Sustainable municipal solid waste leachate (MSWL) management requires a paradigm shift from removing contaminants to effectively recovering resources and decreasing contaminants simultaneously. In this study, two types of humic substances, fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA) were extracted from MSWL. HA was extracted using HCl and NaOH solution, followed by FA using a column bed under diversified operations such as flow rate, input concentration, and bed height. Also, this work aims to evaluate efficiency of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Dynamic adsorption models in predicting FA. With the flow rate of 0.3 mL/min, bed height of 15.5 cm, and input concentration of 4.27 g/mL, the maximum capacity of FA was obtained at 23.03 mg/g. FTIR analysis in HA and FA revealed several oxygen-containing functional groups including carboxylic, phenolic, aliphatic, and ketone. The high correlation coefficient value (R2) and a lower mean squared error value (MSE) were obtained using the ANN, indicating the superior ability of ANN to predict adsorption capacity compared to traditional modeling.

A smartphone digital image colorimetric method based on nanoparticles for determination of lamotrigine.

Aim: A colorimetric approach for quantification of lamotrigine using spectrophotometric and smartphone image analysis is described in this study. Methods: For full optimization and validation procedures, UV-visible spectroscopy was used, and image analysis was carried out with the help of an app (PhotoMetrix PRO®). Then, as a multivariate calibration method, parallel factor analysis was used for data analysis. Results: The results demonstrated the capacity of these methods to estimate lamotrigine concentrations in the range of 0.1-7.0 µg.ml-1 in exhaled breath condensate, indicating the value of using digital images and smartphone applications in combination with chemometric tools. Conclusion: The image analysis can be superior for its fast and reliable lamotrigine analysis in biological samples.

Efficient dispersive solid-phase extraction of methylprednisolone from exhaled breath of COVID-19 patients.

In the current study, bismuth ferrite nano-sorbent was synthesized and utilized as a sorbent for the dispersive solid-phase extraction of methylprednisolone from exhaled breath samples. The size and morphology of the nano-sorbent were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Following its desorption with acetonitrile, methylprednisolone was quantified by a high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector. Factors affecting the extraction of methylprednisolone were optimized. Under optimized experimental conditions, a linear relationship between the analytical signals and methylprednisolone concentration was obtained in the range of 0.001-0.2 µg mL-1 for exhaled breath condensate samples and 0.002-0.4 µg per filter for filter samples. A pre-concentration factor of 6.4-fold, corresponding to an extraction recovery of 96.0%, was achieved. The validated method was applied for the determination of methylprednisolone in real samples taken from the exhaled breath of COVID-19 patients under mechanical ventilation.

Effects of Carbon Templates in Tetraethyl Orthosilicate-Derived Superhydrophobic Coatings.

Superhydrophobic coatings have garnered significant research interest due to their potential applications in areas such as ant-icing and windows. This study focuses on the development of superhydrophobic coatings using air-assisted electrospray and the effect of different carbon additives as templates in the coating. Carbon templates, with their unique topological varieties, offer a cost-effective alternative to other patterning technologies such as photolithography. By introducing dispersed carbon black, carbon nanotubes, and graphene additives in TEOS solution, silica is given the ability of localized secondary growth on or around the carbon surfaces as well as the building structure to provide adequate roughness on the substrate surface. The templated silica formations provide a thin coating with nano-scale roughness for heightened water resistance. As compared with the template-free coating that has small silica particles, a surface roughness of 135 nm, and a water contact angle (WCA) of 101.6° (non-superhydrophobic), the carbon templating effect allowed for increased silica particle size, a surface roughness as high as 845 nm, a WCA above 160°, and the ability to maintain superhydrophobicity over 30 abrasion cycles. The morphological characteristics that resulted from the templating effect correlate directly with heightened performance of the coatings. Herein, the carbon additives have been found to serve as cheap and effective templates for silica formation in thin TEOS-derived superhydrophobic coatings.

Introducing heterotrophic iron ore bacteria as new candidates in promoting the recovery of e-waste strategic metals.

Electrical instruments are an integral part of human life resulting in a vast electronic waste generation (74.7 Mt by 2030), threatening human life and the environment due to its hazardous nature. Therefore, proper e-waste management is a necessity. Currently, bio-metallurgy is a sustainable process and an emerging research field. Simultaneous leaching of metals using two groups of indigenous heterotrophs and autotrophs was an exciting work done in this study. Bioleaching experiments using pre-adapted cultures were investigated at three e-waste densities: 5, 10, and 15 g/L. Statistical analysis was done using two-way ANOVA. Copper (93%), zinc (21.5%), and nickel (10.5%) had the highest recovery efficiencies. There was a significant difference between copper, nickel, tin, and zinc concentrations and the bacterial group (P < 0.05); Iron-oxidizing bacteria showed the most weight decrease and recovered 46-47% of total metals, mainly copper and nickel, while sulfur oxidizers were more capable of zinc leaching. The heterotrophs solubilized tin preferably and substantially decreased e-waste weight. Using heterotrophs alongside autotrophs is proposed to promote metal recovery.

Remediation of metals and plastic from e-waste by iron mine indigenous acidophilic bacteria.

The growing consumption of electrical and electronic equipment leads to high amounts of electronic waste (e-waste), which is now considered the fastest-growing waste stream at the national and international levels. As well as being a potential secondary resource due to its precious metals content, e-waste also contains strategic metals and plastics. For instance, mobile phones have about 25-55% plastic substances. A few studies have been performed to investigate the potential of indigenous bacteria in metals' bioleaching from the polluted environment. Heterotrophic bioleaching potential in acidic conditions had been preliminarily investigated. Two soil types of iron ore were considered the source of indigenous bacteria. Despite the acidophilic nature of the bacterial consortium, they continued their leaching activity regardless of alkaline conditions. Maximum biorecovery rate related to copper (4%) responding to the main soil, owing to the higher copper content of mobile phone waste. Chromium had the least recovery rate (⩽0.002%). Overall, the maximum metal recovery rate was 4.7%, achieved by tailing heterotrophs at an e-waste loading of 10 g l-1. Statistical analysis had shown that there was no significant difference between the metal recovery rates and soil type or even the solid-liquid ratio (p > 0.05). Although acidophilic indigenous heterotrophs could not be an appropriate alternative for a large amount of metal recovery process, they might have considerable potential in the bioremediation of e-waste plastic fractions and metals in low concentrations simultaneously.

Presented and prioritizing waste management strategies using SWOT and QSPM approach in two private hospitals in Yazd in 2021.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to present a strategic waste management in two private hospitals in Yazd using models of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and quantitative strategic planning matrix (QSPM). METHODS: The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the organization was identified according to existing documents and expert team. The internal and external factors were identified by internal factor evaluation (IFE) and external factor evaluation (EFE) matrices. The strategies to improve waste management in two hospitals were presented by comparing internal and external factors. Finally, the attractiveness table was compiled and weighted using the QSPM method to prioritize the strategies. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that 24 strengths, 30 weaknesses, 16 opportunities, and 22 threats were identified. The final score of internal and external factors for hospital A and B were (X: 2.37, Y:1.88) and (X: 2.37, Y: 2.01), respectively. Based on the results, 12 strategies were presented. Finally, the strategy of "the improvement of green management indicators" was implemented as a priority according to QSPM matrix. CONCLUSION: The result of this study duplicated that using the QSPM and SWOT models is assist to present viable strategies to improve the health-care waste management.

The Burden of Cardiovascular Disease Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors and Cost-effectiveness Analysis of IraPEN Program in the General Population of Iran.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) contribute to over 30% of deaths worldwide and more than 40% in Iran in 2019. Establishing a cost-effective program to control cardiovascular diseases is essential for any country. This study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the primary prevention program (IraPEN) for cardiovascular diseases in Iran. Methods: This methodological cost-effectiveness study was performed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the IraPEN program by modifying cardiovascular disease risk factors in the IraPEN program. We calculated the economic burden of CVDs risk factors from 2016 to 2018 in 4 pilot cities in Iran. We observed 160,833 individuals for 2 years to measure the economic burden of cardiovascular diseases. To estimate the variation of the 1-year risk of cardiovascular illnesses, and according to the study's goal of estimating the 1-year risk of cardiovascular disease, only 36,631 people remained in the study who compiled the program's instruction for 1 year. Propensity scores were used to consider the effect of those excluded from the study. The 10-year risk of CVDs was estimated by the laboratory tests and information registered in the population's electronic records. To evaluate the effect of the IraPEN program in reducing the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, major CVD risk factors were studied by the World Health Organization formula (whocvdrisk) and cardiovascular diseases risk scoring. We used the 10-year risk for CVDs to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis in terms of cost per disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) saved. Results: According to estimates of the 1-year relative risk reduction in cardiovascular disease, the results showed that relative risk reductions for men and women were 0.74 and 0.65, respectively. Hence, about 174,088 annual acute CVDs events reduction would be expected; this decrease is predicted for men (93,034) more than women (81,054) for the total population of Iran. The total cost of treatment for people with cardiovascular diseases was 165 USD for coronary heart disease or stroke per individual. All risk factors were further reduced in women than men, except for smoking. DALYs averted was 1057.66 for samples who were in the study for a year (36631 samples). The total cost per averted DALY was 47.16. Conclusion: Estimating the costs associated with disease prevention programs is more important in developing countries. The most cost-effective strategies have been preventive therapies that target high-risk individuals. PEN risk reduction programs for primary prevention such as Ira-pen are highly cost-effective and efficient in low- and middle-income countries.

Fabrication of ZnO/y-FeOOH nanoparticles embedded on the polyethylene terephthalate membrane: Evaluation of antifouling behavior and COD removal.

Nanofiltration contributes to the development of advanced treatment of wastewater. An antifouling mixed matrix recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) membrane modified by the hydrophilic ZnO/y-FeOOH nanoparticles (NPs) was fabricated via the electrospinning method. The effect of ZnO/y-FeOOH NPS embedded in rPET as a modifier on the fabrication of nanocomposite membranes was investigated regarding water flux, membrane morphology, permeability, fouling resistance, and COD removal. The surface morphology of the rPET-ZnO/y-FeOOH membrane was evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), water contact angle (WCA), and porosity and pore structure.Due to the embedding of NPs, the resulting rPET-ZnO/y-FeOOH membrane, with a low WCA of 53.404° angle, conforms significantly improved hydrophilicity and water permeation flux. The FESEM image displayed the distribution of cuboidal and needle-like ZnO and FeOOH NPs on the rPET membrane. The performance of the nanofiltration system related to the removal efficiency of COD was studied. It was deduced that the rPET-ZnO/y-FeOOH membrane had a superior COD removal capability (95.7%) at a pressure of 2 bar. Protein rejection tests were performed on antifouling behavior. The nanocomposite membrane with a high antifouling capability was related to 0.5 wt·% ZnO/y-FeOOH NPs (flux recovery ratio [FRR] = 96.2%, Rr = 90.21%, and Rir = 3.001%). The modification procedure in this study (as a great improving technique) was proposed to fabricate the antifouling nanofiltration membrane.

Development a coordination polymer based nanosensor for phenobarbital determination in exhaled breath condensate.

In this study, a fluorometric probe based on luminol-terbium coordination polymer nanoparticles (luminol-Tb CP NPs) is validated for the quantification of phenobarbital in the exhaled breath condensate collected from expiratory circuit of the mechanical ventilator (MVEBC). It relies on the coordination of phenobarbital to luminol-Tb CP NPs which casing an aggregation-induced fluorescence enhancement of probe owing to the increasing the system rigidity and the decreasing the nonradiative decay rate. As the increase in response intensity is proportional to phenobarbital amount, a method is offered for its determination in MVEBC. This method presents a linear relationship with phenobarbital concentration in the range of 0.1-10.0 mg.L-1 with a limit of detection of 0.024 mg.L-1 and the relative standard deviation of 3.6%. The proposed method is used in MVEBC of the pre-term newborn babies receiving phenobarbital under mechanical ventilator.

Management and health risk assessment of chemical contamination events in water distribution systems using PSO.

An accidental or intentional contamination event can raise health and sociopolitical concerns, erode public trust, and affect the operation of water distribution systems. In this regard, emergency management plans are required to describe the necessary measures in order to deal with a threat. This study was carried out to investigate the best ways to manage intrusion in a water distribution network. In this research, the optimal management approach to deal with chemical contamination in a water distribution network was examined under three scenarios using the particle swarm optimization method. In each scenario, three management solutions were used to manage the contamination, including closing the pipe, opening the fire hydrant, and using a combination of pipe closure and fire hydrant opening. Contamination risk impact on consumers' health was assessed in the network's emergency status and after implementation of the best pollution management scenarios. The results showed that in the benchmark network, pipe closure was slightly more successful than opening of the fire hydrant valve. In pollution management of a real network, pipe closure was less effective than the hydrant opening in all scenarios. Generally, all applied scenarios were successful in reducing the contamination risk among the exposed people, so that carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks reduced by 100% in all scenarios compared to the non-management state.

Comparison of the Agreement and Accuracy Between Paramedic and Hospital Diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: Making an accurate clinical diagnosis in the field of prehospital is of great challenge in medical services. This study aimed to determine agreement between prehospital and in-hospital diagnoses. METHODS: The diagnostic agreement was determined by a comparison of the discharge diagnosis with the prehospital emergency technicians in a period of 6 months at the emergency medical services in northwest Azerbaijan. The diagnostic agreement of discharge diagnoses was compared with the fist diagnosis by the paramedics. The results were analyzed using the kappa agreement coefficient and the chi-square test. RESULTS: The overall agreement between the diagnosis made by the emergency medical technicians and the hospital's first diagnosis was 67% (95% confidence interval [CI], 61%-77%; k = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.56-0.67), whereas the agreement between the first diagnosis made by the emergency medical technicians and the hospital discharge diagnosis was 58% (95% CI, 49%-65%; k = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.37-0.48).There was a high proportion of diagnostic agreement for pregnancy (100%), poisoning by drugs (88%), essential (primary) hypertension (86%), and ischemic heart diseases (72%). There was a low proportion of diagnostic agreement for weakness (39%), mixed anxiety and depressive disorder (43%), and cerebellar stroke syndrome (59%). CONCLUSION: Our attention in practice and emergency medical courses should be directed to diseases that have a subjective history, such as weakness and anxiety, due to the high proportion of incorrect diagnoses by the prehospital emergency technician. It should be noted that most of the incorrectly diagnosed cases were overestimated with another coronary syndrome.

Achieving Superhydrophobic Surfaces via Air-Assisted Electrospray.

Superhydrophobic surface is an enabling technology in numerous emerging and practical applications such as self-cleaning, anticorrosion, antifouling, anti-icing coatings, and oil-water separation. Here, we report a facile air-assisted electrospray approach to achieve a superhydrophobic surface by systematically studying spray conditions and the chemistry of a coating precursor solution consisting of silicon dioxide nanoparticles, polyacrylonitrile, and N,N-dimethylformamide. The wettability behavior of the surface was analyzed with contact angle measurement and correlated with surface structures. The superhydrophobic coating exhibits remarkable water and oil repellent characteristics, as well as good robustness against abrasion and harsh chemical conditions. This air-assisted electrospray technique has shown great control over the coating process and properties and thus can be potentially used for various advanced industrial applications for self-cleaning and anticorrosion surfaces.

The challenges of strategic management of the wastage produced due to earthquake in Kermanshah and Varzaghan-Ahar: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Strategic management of the wastage produced due to earthquakes has faced many challenges over the recent decade. Thus, the present study seeks to identify and explain the challenges in earthquake wastage strategic management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present qualitative study has been steered through a content analysis approach and conducted using semi-structured interviews and a purposive selection of 17 professors, experts, and managers experienced in the field of waste management in Kermanshah and Varzaghan-Ahar earthquakes over 2020-2021. Besides, the interviews were initially categorized using MAXQDA18 software. RESULTS: Analysis of the experiences and perception regarding the changes in strategic management of wastage produced due to Kermanshah and Varzaghan-Ahar earthquakes revealed 418 codes, 97 subcategories, 33 categories, and 8 main categories including management and leadership, organizational culture, planning, organizational learning, employee management, rules and regulations, resource management, and procedure management. CONCLUSION: Strategic waste management has not been implemented in a coherent, integrated, and well-planned manner in the cases of the Kermanshah and Varzaghan-Ahar earthquakes. The challenges of strategic waste management turned out to be due to various reasons which will result in many issues in achieving the goals and selecting the suitable method for resource and procedure management should they not be managed well. Hence, policymakers, managers, and executors in the field of crisis management and waste management in disasters -specifically earthquakes- must take the necessary measures to remove these barriers.

Tracking antibiotic resistance genes and class 1 integrons in Escherichia coli isolates from wastewater and agricultural fields.

Considering high concentrations of multidrug-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater, agricultural reuse of treated wastewater may be a public health threat due to ARG dissemination in different environmental compartments, including soil and edible parts of crops. We investigated the presence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli as an indicator bacterium from secondary treated wastewater (STWW), water- or wastewater-irrigated soil and crop samples. ARGs including blaCTX-m-32, blaOXA-23, tet-W, sul1, cml-A, erm-B, along with intI1 gene in E. coli isolates were detected via molecular methods. The most prevalent ARGs in 78 E. coli isolates were sul1 (42%), followed by blaCTX-m-32 (19%), and erm-B (17%). IntI1 as a class 1 integrons gene was detected in 46% of the isolates. Cml-A was detected in STWW isolates but no E. coli isolate from wastewater-irrigated soil and crop samples contained this gene. The results also showed no detection of E. coli in water-irrigated soil and crop samples. Statistical analysis showed a correlation between sul1 and cml-A with intI1. The results suggest that agricultural reuse of wastewater may contribute to the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to soil and crop. Further research is needed to determine the potential risk of ARB associated with the consumption of wastewater-irrigated crops.

Ambient air pollution and cardiovascular disease rate an ANN modeling: Yazd-Central of Iran.

This study was aimed to investigate the air pollutants impact on heart patient's hospital admission rates in Yazd for the first time. Modeling was done by time series, multivariate linear regression, and artificial neural network (ANN). During 5 years, the mean concentrations of PM10, SO2, O3, NO2, and CO were 98.48 µg m-3, 8.57 ppm, 19.66 ppm, 18.14 ppm, and 4.07 ppm, respectively. The total number of cardiovascular disease (CD) patients was 12,491, of which 57% and 43% were related to men and women, respectively. The maximum correlation of air pollutants was observed between CO and PM10 (R = 0.62). The presence of SO2 and NO2 can be dependent on meteorological parameters (R = 0.48). Despite there was a positive correlation between age and CD (p = 0.001), the highest correlation was detected between SO2 and CD (R = 0.4). The annual variation trend of SO2, NO2, and CO concentrations was more similar to the variations trend in meteorological parameters. Moreover, the temperature had also been an effective factor in the O3 variation rate at lag = 0. On the other hand, SO2 has been the most effective contaminant in CD patient admissions in hospitals (R = 0.45). In the monthly database classification, SO2 and NO2 were the most prominent factors in the CD (R = 0.5). The multivariate linear regression model also showed that CO and SO2 were significant contaminants in the number of hospital admissions (R = 0.46, p = 0.001) that both pollutants were a function of air temperature (p = 0.002). In the ANN nonlinear model, the 14, 12, 10, and 13 neurons in the hidden layer were formed the best structure for PM, NO2, O3, and SO2, respectively. Thus, the Rall rate for these structures was 0.78-0.83. In these structures, according to the autocorrelation of error in lag = 0, the series are stationary, which makes it possible to predict using this model. According to the results, the artificial neural network had a good ability to predict the relationship between the effect of air pollutants on the CD in a 5 years' time series.

Antibiotic resistance and class 1 integron genes distribution in irrigation water-soil-crop continuum as a function of irrigation water sources.

The increasing demand for fresh water coupled with the need to recycle water and nutrients has witnessed a global increase in wastewater irrigation. However, the development of antibiotic resistance hotspots in different environmental compartments, as a result of wastewater reuse is becoming a global health concern. The effect of irrigation water sources (wastewater, surface water, fresh water) on the presence and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) (blaCTX-m-32, tet-W, sul1, cml-A, and erm-B) and class 1 integrons (intI1) were investigated in the irrigation water-soil-crop continuum using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Sul1 and blaCTX-m-32 were the most and least abundant ARGs in three environments, respectively. The abundance of ARGs and intI1 significantly decreased from wastewater to surface water and then fresh water. However, irrigation water sources had no significant effect on the abundance of ARGs and intI1 in soil and crop samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that UV index and air temperature attenuate the abundance of ARGs and intI1 in crop samples whereas the air humidity and soil electrical conductivity (EC) promotes the ARGs and intI1. So that the climate condition of semi-arid regions significantly affects the abundance of ARGs and intI1 in crop samples. The results suggest that treated wastewater might be safely reused in agricultural practice in semi-arid regions without a significant increase of potential health risks associated with ARGs transfer to the food chain. However, further research is needed for understanding and managing ARGs transfer from the agricultural ecosystem to humans through the food chain.