Inhibiting Cr(VI)-mediated ARG dissemination in wastewater: Synthetic antioxidant-, extracellular polymeric substance-, and nuclease-producing microbiome targeting ROS, MGEs, and ARG-MRG co-occurrence.
Deng B, Ren ZH, Ren CY, Zhao HP
Soil Health
PubMedWastewater used to irrigate gardens and farms can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria into the soil where your vegetables grow, meaning the food on your plate could harbor microbes that are harder to treat if they make you sick.
When industrial wastewater contaminated with chromium — a toxic metal from things like leather tanning or metal plating — sits in treatment systems for a long time, bacteria inside it start swapping genes that make them resistant to antibiotics. Scientists found that certain beneficial microbes naturally fight back by producing substances that neutralize the toxic metal and break down the DNA packages bacteria use to share these resistance genes. Understanding this could help design better, greener ways to clean up contaminated water before it reaches farms or waterways.
Key Findings
180 days of exposure to 10 mg/L hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] significantly enriched multidrug-resistant plasmids in wastewater microbiomes
Chromium stress promotes co-occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and metal resistance genes (MRGs), amplifying the spread of resistance through mobile genetic elements
Microbes producing synthetic antioxidants, extracellular polymeric substances, and nuclease enzymes were identified as key agents that can suppress ARG dissemination by targeting reactive oxygen species and gene-transfer vehicles
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers discovered that long-term exposure to a toxic industrial pollutant (hexavalent chromium) in wastewater accelerates the spread of antibiotic-resistant genes among bacteria. They identified specific microbial strategies — including natural antioxidants and enzymes — that can interrupt this dangerous spread.
Abstract Preview
Heavy metals (HMs) trigger the sustained enrichment and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by exerting selective pressure, and there is an urgent need for effective and environment...
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