Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their eco-environmental response in the Bohai Sea sediments

Lilian Wen; Jiajia Dai; Jinming Song; Jun Ma; Xuegang Li; Huamao Yuan; Liqin Duan; Qidong Wang

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116979

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their eco-environmental response in the Bohai Sea sediments

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Sep 19:208:116979. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116979. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lilian Wen¹, Jiajia Dai², Jinming Song³, Jun Ma⁴, Xuegang Li⁵, Huamao Yuan⁵, Liqin Duan⁵, Qidong Wang⁵

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China. Electronic address: daijiajia@qdio.ac.cn.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China. Electronic address: jmsong@qdio.ac.cn.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China.

PMID: 39303552
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116979

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are an important class of pollutants in the environment. This study investigated the characteristics and ecological effects of ARGs in the Bohai Sea sediments. The results showed that ARGs are widely distributed, and exhibit significant spatial and subtype variations, with absolute abundance following the decreasing order of Liaodong Bay, Laizhou Bay, Bohai Bay, and Bohai Strait. Tetracycline ARGs dominated, comprising 50 % to 62 % of all ARGs, with tetM having the highest abundance at 1.43 × 10⁷ copies/g. Symbiotic network analysis revealed that the phyla Deinococcota, Dadabacteria were serve as the primary likely host of ARGs. The ARGs have a wide range of potential hosts, and bacteria often carry multiple ARGs, enhancing the mobility and ecological niche adaptation of ARGs. This study will provide an important reference for assessing ARGs pollution in semi-enclosed seas.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs); Environmental factors; Microbial communities; Network analysis; Potential hosts; Sediments.