Spatiotemporal profiling of antibiotics and resistance genes in a river catchment: Human population as the main driver of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance gene presence in the environment

Studies to understand the role wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play in dissemination of antibiotics (ABs), and emergence antibiotic resistance (ABR), an important tackling this global crisis. Here we describe abundance distribution 16 ABs, 4 corresponding genes (ARGs), sampled from influent five WWTPs within a single river catchment. We consider four classes antibiotics: fluroquinolones, macrolides, sulfamethoxazole chloramphenicol, as well qnrS, ermB, sul1 catA. All antibiotics, apart fluroquinolones (besifloxacin, lomefloxacin, ulifloxacin, prulifloxacin), were detected all 5 cities (1 city = 1 WWTP), (ARGs). Strong correlations observed between daily loads ABs ARGs versus size population served by each WWTP, AB ARG at site. The efficiency removal varied according site (and process utilized) target, although strong maintained discharged into environment. therefore conclude that is main determinant magnitude burden