Co-occurrence of antimicrobial and metal resistance genes in pig feces and agricultural fields fertilized with slurry

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

Antimicrobial resistance constitutes a global challenge to public health. The common addition of Zn, Cu and other metals to animal feed and the widespread presence of metal ions in livestock and their receiving environments may be a factor that facilitates the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance via co-selection of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and metal resistance genes (MRGs). However, the extent of co-selection is not yet fully understood. In this study, we used a metagenomic approach to profile ARGs, MRGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) known to constitute potential ARG and MRG vectors of transmission, and we determined the concentration of metal ions to assess the interrelationships between the occurrence of ARGs, MRGs and metal concentrations in samples from pig farms in China. Samples analyzed included fresh pig feces, soils fertilized with treated slurry, and sediments from aquatic environments, where effluent from treated slurry was discharged. Resistance genes to tetracycline and zinc were the most commonly observed ARGs and MRGs for all three types of samples. Significant correlations were observed between the abundance of ARGs and MRGs, and between ARGs/MRGs and MGEs, and between metal and ARGs/MGEs as documented by Pearson's correlation analysis (r > 0.9, P < 0.001). Further network analysis revealed significant co-occurrence between specific ARGs and MRGs, between ARGs/MRGs and MGEs, and between specific metals (Zn, Cr, and Mn) and ARGs and MGEs. Collectively, our findings demonstrate a high level of co-occurrence of antimicrobial and metal resistance genes in slurry from pig farms and their surrounding environments. The results suggest that metals added to pig feed might facilitate co-selection of ARGs and MGEs in the pig production environments, thereby resulting in a bigger pool of mobile ARGs.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer148259
TidsskriftScience of the Total Environment
Vol/bind792
ISSN0048-9697
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2021

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
We thank Shuangxi Xu, the coordinator of two farms for permission to collect manure and soil samples, Bo Fang from Shuyang Hospital for assistance with sampling, Qi Hu from E-gene Company for help with sequencing, Weiwen Xia from Jintan CDC for technical contribution to ICP-OES analysis. This work was jointly funded by the Department of Environment and Health of Jiangsu CDC (the Key Talent Project for Medical Young Scholars of Jiangsu Province QNRC2016551 and Jiangsu social development project BE2018745), the Health and Medical Faculty at the University of Copenhagen and the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC).

Funding Information:
We thank Shuangxi Xu, the coordinator of two farms for permission to collect manure and soil samples, Bo Fang from Shuyang Hospital for assistance with sampling, Qi Hu from E-gene Company for help with sequencing, Weiwen Xia from Jintan CDC for technical contribution to ICP-OES analysis. This work was jointly funded by the Department of Environment and Health of Jiangsu CDC (the Key Talent Project for Medical Young Scholars of Jiangsu Province QNRC2016551 and Jiangsu social development project BE2018745 ), the Health and Medical Faculty at the University of Copenhagen and the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021

ID: 273297301