Variations in Bacterial Communities and Antibiotic Resistance Genes Across Diverse Recycled and Surface Water Irrigation Sources in the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest United States: A CONSERVE Two-Year Field Study
Leena Malayil, Padmini Ramachandran, Suhana Chattopadhyay, Sarah M. Allard, Anthony Bui, Jicell Butron, Mary Theresa Callahan, Hillary A. Craddock, Rianna Murray, Cheryl East, Manan Sharma, Kalmia E. Kniel, Shirley A. Micallef, Fawzy Hashem, Charles P. Gerba, Sadhana Ravishankar, Salina Parveen, Eric May, Eric T. Handy, Prachi Kulkarni, Brienna L. Anderson-Coughlin, Shani Craighead, Samantha Gartley, Adam Vanore, Rico Duncan, Derek Foust, Joseph Haymaker, Walter Q. Betancourt, Libin Zhu, Emmanuel F. Mongodin, Amir Sapkota, Mihai Pop, Amy R. Sapkota
Abstract
were observed across sample types. The most common antibiotic resistance genes identified coded against macrolides/lincosamides/streptogramins, aminoglycosides, rifampin and elfamycins, and their read counts fluctuated across seasons. We also observed multi-metal and multi-biocide resistance across all water types. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive longitudinal study to date of U.S. recycled water and surface water used for irrigation. Our findings improve understanding of the potential differences in the risk of exposure to bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes originating from diverse irrigation water sources across seasons and U.S. regions.