Wastewater treatment plants are spreading antibiotic resistance

Researchers at the University Of Southern California Viterbi School Of Engineering studied the development of traces of antibiotic resistance DNA in wastewater treatment. The water from these facilities is reintroduced to the environment, causing the spread of antibiotic resistance. The research found that even low concentrations of just a single type of antibiotic lead to resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics. They believe that water treatment facilities can be a hot-bed for antibiotic resistance. One of the common ways in which the wastewater is treated is with a membrane bioreactor, which uses both a filtration system and a biological process where bacteria consume waste products. The bacteria encounter antibiotics in the wastewater and expresses resistance genes. These resistance genes can then be passed on from parent to daughter cell and between neighbors through horizontal gene transfer. The biomass containing these bacteria is disposed of in landfills or used as a fertilizer for agriculture and livestock feed crops. The antibiotic-resistant bacteria and free-floating DNA come out in the effluent that leaves the facility and is often used for irrigation, or to replenish groundwater supplied, a common source of drinking water. The team believes that the amount of antibiotic-resistant organisms formed in treatment plants could be reduced by employing anaerobic, processes rather than aerobic processes. The University of Southern California. "Antibiotic resistance is spreading from wastewater treatment plants." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 March 2019. @ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190306125330.htm
Antibiotic resistance is spreading from wastewater treatment plants

The products of wastewater treatment have been found to contain trace amounts of antibiotic resistant DNA. Researchers have found that even low concentrations of just a single type of antibiotic in the water supply leads to resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics.

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