Small and large-scale distribution of four classes of antibiotics in sediment: association with metals and antibiotic resistance genes.

Antibiotic chemicals and antibiotic resistance genes enter the environment via wastewater effluents as well as from runoff from agricultural operations. The relative importance of these two sources, however, is largely unknown. The relationship between the concentrations of chemicals and genes requires exploration, for antibiotics in the environment may lead to development or retention of resistance genes by bacteria. The genes that confer resistance to metal toxicity may also be important in antibiotic resistance. In this work, concentrations of 19 antibiotics (using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry), 14 metals (using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry), and 45 metal, antibiotic, and antibiotic-resistance associated genes (using a multiplex, microfluidic quantitative polymerase chain reaction method) were measured in 13 sediment samples from two large rivers as well as along a spatial transect in a wastewater effluent-impacted lake. Nine of the antibiotics were detected in the rivers and 13 were detected in the lake. Sixteen different resistance genes were detected. The surrounding land use and proximity to wastewater treatment plants are important factors in the number and concentrations of antibiotics detected. Correlations among antibiotic chemical concentrations, metal concentrations, and resistance genes occur over short spatial scales in a lake but not over longer distances in major rivers. The observed correlations likely result from the chemicals and resistance genes arising from the same source, and differences in fate and transport over larger scales lead to loss of this relationship.

Sedimentary record of antibiotic accumulation in Minnesota Lakes.

The widespread detection of antibiotics in the environment is concerning because antibiotics are designed to be effective at small doses. The objective of this work was to quantify the accumulation rates of antibiotics used by humans and animals, spanning several major antibiotic classes (sulfonamides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and macrolides), in Minnesota lake-sediment cores. Our goal was to determine temporal trends, the major anthropogenic source to these lacustrine systems, and the importance of natural production. A historical record of usage trends for ten human and/or animal-use antibiotics (four sulfonamides, three fluoroquinolones, one macrolide, trimethoprim, and lincomycin) was faithfully captured in the sediment cores. Nine other antibiotics were not detected. Ofloxacin, trimethoprim, sulfapyridine, and sulfamethazine were detected in all of the anthropogenically-impacted studied lakes. Maximum sediment fluxes reached 20.5ngcm-2yr-1 (concentration 66.1ng/g) for ofloxacin, 1.2ngcm-2yr-1 (1.2ng/g) for trimethoprim, 3.3ngcm-2yr-1 (11.3ng/g) for sulfapyridine, and 1.0ngcm-2yr-1 (1.6ng/g) for sulfamethazine, respectively. Natural production of lincomycin may have occurred in one lake at fluxes ranging from 0.4 to 1.8ngcm-2yr-1 (0.1 to 5.8ng/g). Wastewater effluent appears to be the primary source of antibiotics in the studied lakes, with lesser inputs from agricultural activities.

The fate of antibiotic resistance genes and class 1 integrons following the application of swine and dairy manure to soils.

The goal of this study was to determine the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and class 1 integrons following the application of swine and dairy manure to soil. Soil microcosms were amended with either manure from swine fed subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics or manure from dairy cows that were given antibiotics only rarely and strictly for veterinary purposes. Microcosms were monitored for 6 months using quantitative PCR targeting 16S rRNA genes (a measure of bacterial biomass), intI1, erm(B), tet(A), tet(W) and tet(X). Swine manure had 10- to 100-fold higher levels of ARGs than the dairy manure, all of which decayed over time after being applied to soil. A modified Collins-Selleck model described the decay of ARGs in the soil microcosms well, particularly the characteristic in which the decay rate declined over time. By the completion of the soil microcosm experiments, ARGs in the dairy manure-amended soils returned to background levels, whereas the ARGs in swine manure remained elevated compared to control microcosms. Our research suggests that the use of subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in animal feed could lead to the accumulation of ARGs in soils to which manure is applied.