Drug-resistant sewage bacteria breed inside the pipes, not just from waste
Dennis KJ, Feng S, Schussman MK, Bootsma MJ, McLellan SL
Public Health
This is a microbiology and public health study about antibiotic resistance in wastewater systems and has no connection to gardening, plants, or botany.
Researchers tested raw sewage from four city treatment plants and found huge numbers of bacteria carrying genes that make them resistant to powerful antibiotics. Surprisingly, these resistant bacteria didn't line up with the amount of human waste in the water, which means they're likely multiplying inside the sewer pipes on their own. Some of the resistant E. coli found in the sewage looked genetically almost identical to the dangerous strains doctors see in hospital patients.
Key Findings
268 wastewater samples from 4 treatment plants showed consistently high levels of blaCTX-M group 1 resistance genes, largely uncorrelated with human fecal markers
Resistant bacteria isolated were 26% E. coli, 26% Klebsiella pneumoniae, 40% other Enterobacteriaceae, and 8% Aeromonas; about 3% of all E. coli carried the resistance gene
Whole-genome sequencing showed wastewater E. coli with this resistance gene had virulence profiles closely matching clinical (hospital) isolates, distinct from other wastewater E. coli
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found that raw sewage carries surprisingly high levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including strains nearly identical to those causing serious hospital infections, suggesting these germs are breeding inside sewer pipes themselves rather than just coming from human waste.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Dynamics and virulence of Enterobacteriaceae reservoirs harboring blaCTX-M group 1 in community wastewater.
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria are ubiquitous and can cause serious infections. Here, we examined untreated community wastewater influent as a reservoir for blaCTX-M gro...
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