Characterization of mobile resistance elements in extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing gram-negative bacteria from aquatic environment

IF 8.2 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Science of the Total Environment Pub Date : 2025-04-16 DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179353

Yang Zhong , Jocelyn Qi-Min Teo , Siyao Guo , Joergen Schlundt , Andrea Lay-Hoon Kwa , Rick Twee-Hee Ong

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Abstract

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing (ESBL) bacteria from aquatic environments can pose potential threats to public health due to their capability of spreading antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes through mobile genetic elements (MGEs), such as plasmids, insertion sequences (ISs), transposons, and integrons. Currently, there is no policy for routine monitoring of AMR genes in aquatic environments and their roles in transmission are therefore unknown. Previous metagenomic and PCR-based culture-independent approaches are limited in recovering AMR resistant aquatic bacteria isolates and the data resolution generated are not able to provide detailed genetic comparison with known human pathogens particularly for determining genetic islands harbouring AMR genes. To address these gaps, we thus investigated the genetic profiles of ESBL-producing gram-negative aquatic bacteria found from water body sites within Singapore, examining the AMR genes carried and their associated MGEs. In total, 16 ESBL-producing gram-negative bacteria were identified, of which 8 were Escherichia coli, 3 Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 5 Aeromonas spp. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis revealed the presence of 12 distinct classes of AMR genes, including 16 distinct variants of β-lactamase, of which bla_CTX-M was the dominant beta-lactamase genotype in all 11 Enterobacterales. The AMR genetic islands in the aquatic bacteria were also found to share similar genetic structures similar to those of circulating ESBL bacteria causing human infections. These findings underscore the potential role of aquatic ESBL bacteria as AMR reservoirs for human pathogens, suggesting that aquatic bacteria may facilitate the hidden transmission of AMR mediated by MGEs through horizontal gene transfer across different sources and species, highlighting the importance of integrating environmental AMR monitoring into local surveillance strategies.

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水生环境中产β-内酰胺酶的革兰氏阴性菌中移动抗性因子的鉴定

来自水生环境的广谱β-内酰胺酶产生（ESBL）细菌能够通过移动遗传元件（MGEs）传播抗菌素耐药性（AMR）基因，如质粒、插入序列（ISs）、转座子和整合子，从而对公众健康构成潜在威胁。目前，没有水生环境中AMR基因的常规监测政策，因此它们在传播中的作用尚不清楚。先前的宏基因组和基于pcr的非培养方法在恢复抗AMR水生细菌分离物方面受到限制，所产生的数据分辨率无法提供与已知人类病原体的详细遗传比较，特别是在确定含有AMR基因的遗传岛方面。为了解决这些空白，我们研究了从新加坡水体中发现的产生esbl的革兰氏阴性水生细菌的遗传谱，检查了携带的AMR基因及其相关的MGEs。共鉴定出16种产esbl的革兰氏阴性菌，其中大肠杆菌8种，肺炎克雷伯菌3种，气单胞菌5种。全基因组测序（WGS）结果显示，共有12种不同的AMR基因，包括16种不同的β-内酰胺酶变体，其中blaCTX-M是所有11种肠杆菌中显性的β-内酰胺酶基因型。水生细菌中的AMR遗传岛也被发现与引起人类感染的循环ESBL细菌具有相似的遗传结构。这些发现强调了水生ESBL细菌作为人类病原体AMR宿主的潜在作用，表明水生细菌可能通过不同来源和物种的水平基因转移促进MGEs介导的AMR的隐藏传播，强调了将环境AMR监测纳入当地监测策略的重要性。

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来源期刊

Science of the Total Environment 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

17.60

自引率

10.20%

发文量

8726

审稿时长

2.4 months

期刊介绍： The Science of the Total Environment is an international journal dedicated to scientific research on the environment and its interaction with humanity. It covers a wide range of disciplines and seeks to publish innovative, hypothesis-driven, and impactful research that explores the entire environment, including the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere. The journal's updated Aims & Scope emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary environmental research with broad impact. Priority is given to studies that advance fundamental understanding and explore the interconnectedness of multiple environmental spheres. Field studies are preferred, while laboratory experiments must demonstrate significant methodological advancements or mechanistic insights with direct relevance to the environment.