Deciphering the response of pyrite/sulfur autotrophic denitrification system to sulfamethoxazole and copper stress: Insights from microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes
Zhenyu Wang , Xuejiang Wang , Zaoli Gu , Ben Dai , Jianzhuo Zhou , Dianhai Yang , Siqing Xia
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Antibiotics disrupt microbial community in biological treatment systems and promote development of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with heavy metals amplifying these risks. This study developed three autotrophic denitrification systems driven by solid electron donors (pyrite, Rp; elemental sulfur, Rs; mixture of pyrite and elemental sulfur, Rm) to investigate the effects of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and the combined stress of Cu(II). Results indicated that 0.2–5 mg/L SMX minimally affected the nitrogen removal efficiency of Rm (99.18 %–99.66 %), but 5 mg/L SMX and 1 mg/L Cu(II) co-stress reduced it to 93.82 %, while Rs maintained excellent performance (99.25 %–99.27 %) and Rp consistently underperformed (20.67 %–22.39 %). Excitation-emission matrix-parallel factor analysis suggested that Cu(II) inhibited metabolic activity, reflected by decreased soluble microbial product contents. Stochastic processes mainly governed community assembly, with drift driving the shift from Thiobacillus to Ferritrophicum in Rs and Rm, while diffusion limitation dispersed bacterial composition in Rp. Rm exhibited the most complex ecological network dominated by microbial cooperation. Despite the downregulation of denitrification and sulfur oxidation genes under stress, upregulated ABC transport and electron transport genes (especially in Rs/Rm) likely ensured stable nitrogen removal. Additionally, SMX persistently enriched ARGs, exacerbated by Cu(II), yet surprisingly, pyrite proportion negatively correlated with ARGs abundance. Compared to Rs, Rm significantly lessened the potential ARGs hosts, while Rp showed no multi-ARG hosts. This study offers valuable insights into the microbial community response and ARGs spread in solid-phase autotrophic denitrification systems under antibiotic and heavy metal stress.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Water Process Engineering aims to publish refereed, high-quality research papers with significant novelty and impact in all areas of the engineering of water and wastewater processing . Papers on advanced and novel treatment processes and technologies are particularly welcome. The Journal considers papers in areas such as nanotechnology and biotechnology applications in water, novel oxidation and separation processes, membrane processes (except those for desalination) , catalytic processes for the removal of water contaminants, sustainable processes, water reuse and recycling, water use and wastewater minimization, integrated/hybrid technology, process modeling of water treatment and novel treatment processes. Submissions on the subject of adsorbents, including standard measurements of adsorption kinetics and equilibrium will only be considered if there is a genuine case for novelty and contribution, for example highly novel, sustainable adsorbents and their use: papers on activated carbon-type materials derived from natural matter, or surfactant-modified clays and related minerals, would not fulfil this criterion. The Journal particularly welcomes contributions involving environmentally, economically and socially sustainable technology for water treatment, including those which are energy-efficient, with minimal or no chemical consumption, and capable of water recycling and reuse that minimizes the direct disposal of wastewater to the aquatic environment. Papers that describe novel ideas for solving issues related to water quality and availability are also welcome, as are those that show the transfer of techniques from other disciplines. The Journal will consider papers dealing with processes for various water matrices including drinking water (except desalination), domestic, urban and industrial wastewaters, in addition to their residues. It is expected that the journal will be of particular relevance to chemical and process engineers working in the field. The Journal welcomes Full Text papers, Short Communications, State-of-the-Art Reviews and Letters to Editors and Case Studies