American Chemical Society(ACS) Spring 2025
Date:
- Title: Conjugative plasmids-associated to shape the antibiotic resistance dissemination prevalence in European wastewater sewers
- Abstract: Antibiotic resistance (AR) surveillance is a key objective in the World Health Organization’s global action plan. Urban wastewater sewer systems serve as crucial reservoirs for environmental AR. The widespread prevalence of AR is partly attributed to the horizontal transfer of AR genes, typically mediated by conjugative plasmids. However, a comprehensive investigation on phenotypic antibiotic resistance of conjugative plasmid in urban wastewater sewers remains scarce. In this study, we applied culture-enriched and -selected phenotypic whole genomics to investigate the AR phenotypes and genotypes of conjugative plasmids in three medium-sized cities of Denmark, Spanish, and the United Kingdom. We collected 797 conjugative plasmids and assessed their antibiotic susceptibilities based on the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) guidelines. Almost all conjugative plasmids were found to be resistant to multiple antibiotics. The AR phenotypes of conjugative plasmids were distinct from residential and hospital sewers in the cities of Spanish and the United Kingdom, but the phenotypic result was the opposite in the city of Denmark. Conjugative plasmids from hospital sewers possessed a stronger ability of trans-conjugation than those from residential sewers. There were 96 conjugative plasmids exhibiting resistance to more than three types of antibiotics selected for whole-genome sequencing using nanopore technologies. There were five types of mobilization systems (MOBs), seventeen types of incompatibility groups (Inc), and seventy-four types of AR genes identified among these plasmids. AR genes carried by these plasmids were conferred to their corresponding resistance phenotypes. The β-lactamases and aminoglycoside resistance genes were mainly encoded on these plasmids. About half of these plasmids carried multidrug-resistant genes. Our surveillance represents a profile to date of the AR phenotype associated with conjugative plasmids in clinical and residential sewers. It emphasizes the importance of enhancing surveillance of sewage-based AR and contributes to a deeper understanding of conjugative plasmid-mediated AR.