Article
Environmental Sciences
Yan Wang, Nuohan Xu, Bingfeng Chen, Zhenyan Zhang, Chaotang Lei, Qi Zhang, Yanpeng Gu, Tingzhang Wang, Meixia Wang, Josep Penuelas, Haifeng Qian
Summary: Glaciers act as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes and viruses, and their melting due to climate change has led to the release of these elements into downstream habitats. The abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes were found to be higher in glaciers compared to downstream habitats, while the diversity of viruses showed the opposite pattern. Certain bacterial species were identified as potential hosts for both antibiotic resistance genes and viruses, and the transmission of viruses within these hosts could contribute to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. Source tracking analysis revealed that a significant proportion of antibiotic resistance genes and viruses in downstream habitats originated from glaciers. Increased solar radiation and carbon dioxide emissions were found to be the major factors influencing the release of antibiotic resistance genes and viruses from glaciers. This study provides important insights into the release of antibiotic resistance genes and viruses from melting glaciers, highlighting their potential ecological impact.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Siyan Zhao, Matthew J. Rogers, Yuda Liu, Gary L. Andersen, Jianzhong He
Summary: This study used PhyloChip and machine-learning algorithm to analyze water samples from managed watersheds in Singapore. The results showed that natural sources had a low contribution to fecal pollution, while sewage had a higher contribution to microbial communities, indicating persistent impairment caused by anthropogenic activity despite being managed. Additionally, fecal pollution in canals and rivers showed effective auto-mitigation.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Microbiology
Yujie Zhang, Ai Kitazumi, Yen-Te Liao, Benildo G. de los Reyes, Vivian C. H. Wu
Summary: Agricultural microbiomes serve as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes and bacteriophages play a significant role in the horizontal transfer of these genes. Through studying the diversity of bacterial and viral microbiota in fecal and environmental samples from an organic farm, it was found that bacteriophages belonging to the order Caudovirales, particularly in the Siphoviridae family, contained diverse antibiotic resistance gene types and interacted with various bacterial hosts, highlighting their important role in ARG transmission.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ze Ren, Wei Luo
Summary: This study provides the first documentation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in thermokarst lakes of the Yellow River Source Area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The results show that both sediment and water samples from the thermokarst lakes harbor diverse ARGs, with multidrug resistance genes being the most diverse and rifamycin resistance genes being the most abundant. The composition of ARGs varies between sediment and water samples, but their variations are closely correlated. Additionally, ARGs in water samples have more significant relationships with environmental variables compared to sediment samples.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
James F. Curran, Luca Zaggia, Grazia Marina Quero
Summary: The canals in the historical center of Venice have widespread sediment microbial pollution, including fecal contamination, antibiotic resistance, and heavy metal resistance. This poses potential risks to the water quality of the lagoon and adjacent marine areas as well as human health.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gang Zhou, Hong-bing Tao, Xia Wen, Ying-si Wang, Hong Peng, Hui-zhong Liu, Xiu-jiang Yang, Xiao-mo Huang, Qing-shan Shi, Xiao-bao Xie
Summary: This study utilized metagenomic sequencing to detect and quantify Antibiotic Resistance Ontology (AROs) in six spoiled household chemicals. The dominant phylum found in all samples was Proteobacteria, and a diversity of ARO functions were identified through functional annotation. Multidrug resistance genes were the most dominant types of AROs, with the primary resistance mechanism being antibiotic efflux. The highest temperature during collection months significantly affected the distributions of AROs. This study highlights the importance of paying attention to the abundant microorganisms and broad spectrum of AROs in spoiled household chemicals, as they pose a severe threat to public health.
Article
Microbiology
Youfen Xu, Ganghua Han, Hongxun Zhang, Zhisheng Yu, Ruyin Liu
Summary: This study compares the performance of community-based microbial source tracking methods, FEAST and SourceTracker, in low fecal pollution water bodies. The results show that FEAST outperforms SourceTracker in sensitivity and stability, accurately evaluates the contribution of multi-source fecal contamination, and indicates the effectiveness of comprehensive environmental treatment by the local government.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Dengwei Zhang, Ye Peng, Chak-Lun Chan, Hilda On, Hogan Kok-Fung Wai, Sandeep Singh Shekhawat, Akhilendra Bhushan Gupta, Alok Kumar Varshney, Rungtip Chuanchuen, Xudong Zhou, Yankai Xia, Suisha Liang, Keiji Fukuda, Krishna Mohan Medicherla, Hein M. Tun
Summary: Our study in Jaipur City, India, found lower abundance of ARGs in a hospital wastewater treatment plant compared to municipal wastewater treatment plants, which showed enrichment of tetracycline and macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin resistance genes. Hospital wastewater had a higher abundance of genes conferring resistance to disinfectant-related compounds. Additionally, a strong correlation was found between the numbers of ARGs and BMRGs potentially harbored by common hosts in wastewater systems with more chemicals.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Blake G. Lindner, Brittany Suttner, Kevin J. Zhu, Roth E. Conrad, Luis M. Rodriguez-R, Janet K. Hatt, Joe Brown, Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis
Summary: Little is known about the genomic diversity of microbial communities associated with raw municipal wastewater. This study used influent from three wastewater treatment plants in Atlanta to examine the impacts of sewage contamination on laboratory freshwater mesocosms. It identified specific microbial populations in sewage and proposed a bioinformatic approach to identify and apportion contamination signal from multiple probable sources using shotgun metagenomic data.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Su Jin Nam, Wen Si Hu, Ok Kyung Koo
Summary: This study evaluated the specificity and abundance of the human-specific microbial source tracking marker crAssphage in human and animal feces in Korea. The results showed that crAssphage has a specificity of 1.00 and is sufficiently abundant in human feces.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ming Xu, Xing-hao Huang, Xiao-xiao Shen, Hao-qiang Chen, Chao Li, Guang-qiu Jin, Jia-shun Cao, Zhao-xia Xue
Summary: The distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquaculture sediments shows clear spatiotemporal differences, with higher absolute abundance of ARGs in winter and in rivers of the aquaculture farm. Proteobacteria is the dominant phylum in sediment samples. Dechloromonas, Candidatus Accumulibacter, Smithella, Geobacter, and Anaeromyxobacter belonging to Proteobacteria are positively correlated with ARGs.
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Sosie Yorki, Terrance Shea, Christina A. Cuomo, Bruce J. Walker, Regina C. LaRocque, Abigail L. Manson, Ashlee M. Earl, Colin J. Worby
Summary: Recent advances in technology and computation have made metagenomic assembly a viable method for studying complex microbial communities. Previous benchmarking has shown that short-read (SR) assemblers are more accurate, long-read (LR) assemblers provide more contiguous sequences, and hybrid (HY) assemblers balance accuracy and length. However, there has been no specific assessment of these assemblers on low-abundance species, including clinically relevant organisms in the gut. Our study examined the performance of different assemblers on low-abundance species, specifically looking at the assembly of Escherichia coli contigs and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). We found that each assembler type has its own strengths and trade-offs, and the optimal approach depends on the specific goal of the study.
BRIEFINGS IN BIOINFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Montakarn Sresung, Phongsawat Paisantham, Pacharaporn Ruksakul, Akechai Kongprajug, Natcha Chyerochana, Tharindu Pollwatta Gallage, Thitima Srathongneam, Surapong Rattanakul, Siriwara Maneein, Chatsinee Surasen, Somsak Passananon, Skorn Mongkolsuk, Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
Summary: Microbial contamination is a serious problem for drinking water suppliers worldwide, and microbial source tracking (MST) is a useful method to identify different microbial pollution sources. However, MST has limited application in tropical surface water catchments. This study analyzed MST markers and various parameters to identify fecal pollution sources in river water samples.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wen Li, Zishu Liu, Baolan Hu, Lizhong Zhu
Summary: The study reveals that agricultural soil is highly susceptible to manure contamination and can serve as a potential source for the spread of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). CrAssphage, a highly human-specific indicator of fecal pollution, is strongly correlated with soil ARGs, with a particularly close relationship with the tetracycline resistance gene tetW. Regional differences in crAssphage and ARG abundances suggest varying levels of fecal pollution in different areas of the Yangtze River Delta. Efforts to reduce fecal pollution and control ARG transmission in agricultural soils could benefit from high sewage treatment capacity.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
David Kneis, Thomas U. Berendonk, Sofia K. Forslund, Stefanie Hess
Summary: Treated wastewater has a significant impact on the composition of microbial communities and the resistome in aquatic ecosystems. Studies have identified specific bacterial hosts for certain antibiotic resistance genes using a model comparison technique, while further research is needed for other resistance genes.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Rong-Gui Zhu, Chang-Gui Pan, Feng-Jiao Peng, Chao-Yang Zhou, Jun-Jie Hu, Kefu Yu
Summary: This comprehensive survey investigated the occurrence, bioaccumulation, and trophic magnification of parabens and their metabolite 4-HB in a marine food web. Results showed that parabens were the predominant pollutants in marine organisms, with significant bioaccumulation from sediments. The estimated trophic magnification factor indicated biomagnification for MeP and trophic dilution for 4-HB. Overall, the risks for humans consuming marine organisms were found to be low.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Andres F. Torres-Franco, Deborah Leroy-Freitas, Cristina Martinez-Fraile, Elisa Rodriguez, Pedro A. Garcia-Encina, Raul Munoz
Summary: Anaerobic and microalgae-based technologies have emerged as sustainable alternatives for municipal wastewater treatment. However, the presence of viruses in the treated wastewater is a major concern for reuse applications. This study assessed the ability of these technologies to reduce viruses during secondary wastewater treatment. The results showed that all technologies were effective in reducing the concentration of viruses, with microalgae-based treatment exhibiting the highest potential for reducing the disinfection requirements of treated wastewater.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Young Gwang Kim, Sae Yun Kwon, Spencer J. Washburn, Scott C. Brooks, Ji Won Yoon, Lucien Besnard
Summary: The study uses Hg isotope ratios to identify the sources and exposure pathways of mercury in bivalves, finding that dissolved Hg phases in the water column are the primary source and exposure pathway to bivalves. This provides new insights into using bivalves as bioindicators for sediment quality monitoring.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hui Geng, Ying Xu, Rui Liu, Dianhai Yang, Xiaohu Dai
Summary: This study investigates the effect of cation exchange resin (CER) on the sequential recovery of hydrogen and methane from anaerobic digestion (AD) and the corresponding mechanisms. The results show that CER can simultaneously enhance the production of hydrogen and methane by promoting the solubilisation, hydrolysis, and acidification of organic matter. Additionally, CER facilitates effective contact between bacteria and organic particulates and reduces the energy barrier for mass transfer during methane production. The study also reveals changes in the microbial community structure and metagenomics during the AD process.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaojing Lin, Zhan Jin, Shunfeng Jiang, Zhiquan Wang, Suqing Wu, Ke Bei, Min Zhao, Xiangyong Zheng
Summary: Dehumidification combined with addition of absorbent resin supplement (ARS) was used to achieve rapid evaporation of non-pretreated urine, resulting in high water evaporation efficiency and nutrient recovery.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yangli Che, Chaoran Lin, Shen Li, Jiao Liu, Longhai Zhu, Shilei Yu, Nan Wang, Haoshuai Li, Mutai Bao, Yang Zhou, Tonghao Si, Rui Bao
Summary: Hydrodynamic processes play a crucial role in the transmission of sediments, microbial assembly, and organic carbon redistribution in the ocean. Through experiments and analysis, we found that hydrodynamics shape the assembly of microbial communities and control the redistribution of different sourced organic carbon, thereby influencing microbial-mediated biogeochemical transformation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chao Chen, Yu Yang, Nigel J. D. Graham, Zhenyu Li, Xingtao Yang, Zhining Wang, Nadia Farhat, Johannes S. Vrouwenvelder, Li -an Hou
Summary: The fouling of seawater reverse osmosis membranes is a persistent challenge in desalination. This study monitored the operational performance of a desalination plant for 7 years and the fouling development in different areas of membrane modules. The findings showed that operational performance declined over time and fouling mainly occurred at the feed side of the modules, with the highest microbial diversity. Keystone species like Chloroflexi and Planctomycetes played an important role in maintaining community structure and biofilm maturation. Polysaccharides, soluble microbial products, marine humic acid-like substances, and inorganic substances contributed to fouling. Overall, biofouling had a significant impact on membrane fouling after 7 years of operation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Dan Li, Jieyi Sun, Yibo Fu, Wentao Hong, Heli Wang, Qian Yang, Junhong Wu, Sen Yang, Jianhui Xu, Yunfei Zhang, Yirong Deng, Yin Zhong, Ping'an Peng
Summary: Sulfidation-oxidation treatment of magnetite (Fe3O4) enhances the production of dark center dot OH, which can efficiently degrade dissolved organic matter (DOM) and accelerate carbon cycling.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Cheng Yu, Kaijun Wang, Kaiyuan Zhang, Ruiyang Liu, Pingping Zheng
Summary: This study implemented a microaerobic-aerobic configuration in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment facility and investigated the effects on sludge characteristics, pollutant removal, microbial community, and granulation mechanisms. The results showed successful transition from flocculent-activated sludge to well-defined AGS after two months of operation. The primary pathways for pollutant removal were simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal. Moreover, the incorporation of internal separators induced shifts in the flow pattern, which promoted granulation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhe Zhang, Shaoyang Hu, Guangrong Sun, Wei Wang
Summary: Halogenated aromatic disinfection byproducts (DBPs), such as halogenated phenols, have garnered widespread attention due to their high toxicity and prevalence. This study reports on the analysis, occurrence, and cytotoxicity of a group of emerging halogenated aromatic DBPs, known as halogenated polyhydroxyphenols (HPPs), in drinking water.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shengyue Chen, Jinliang Huang, Peng Wang, Xi Tang, Zhenyu Zhang
Summary: Accurate prediction of river water quality is crucial for sustainable water management. This study introduces wavelet analysis and transfer learning techniques to assist LSTM modeling, proposing a newly coupled modeling approach that improves short-term prediction of river water quality.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bang Du, Xinmin Zhan, Piet N. L. Lens, Yifeng Zhang, Guangxue Wu
Summary: Efficient anaerobic digestion relies on the cooperation of different microorganisms with different metabolic pathways. This study investigated the effects of different operational modes and the addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC) on ethanol metabolic pathways. The results showed that the SBR mode and the presence of CO2 facilitated ethanol metabolism towards propionate production, while the CFR mode with extended solids retention time enriched Geobacter. Adjusting operational modes and PAC addition can modulate anaerobic ethanol metabolism and enrich Geobacter.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wanfa Wang, Si-Liang Li, Jun Zhong, Yuanbi Yi, Fujun Yue, Zenglei Han, Qixin Wu, Ding He, Cong-Qiang Liu
Summary: This study compares the carbon biogeochemical processes in karst and non-karst regions within large thermal stratified river-reservoir systems. The results demonstrate that karst reservoirs have a reduced potential for carbon emissions and highlight the importance of considering geologic settings to improve accuracy in regional and global CO2 emission estimates.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chunxia Jiang, Zelong Zhao, Dong Zhu, Xiong Pan, Yuyi Yang
Summary: This study analyzed the occurrence and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in different environmental media of the Yangtze River using metagenomics. Core resistome dominated by multidrug resistance genes was found in all samples, while rare resistome dominated by various resistance genes was more prevalent in plasmids. Specific bacteria were identified as hosts for both core and rare resistomes, with high clinical concern ARGs found in the rare resistome. Particle-associated environment provided the most ideal conditions for resistome hosts. This study provided insights into the genetic locations of ARGs and the community assembly mechanisms of ARG hosts in freshwater environments.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yu Zhang, Yongtao He, Linchun Jia, Lei Xu, Zheng Wang, Yueling He, Ling Xiong, Xumeng Lin, Hong Chen, Gang Xue
Summary: By synergizing organic carbon source, thiosulfate, and zero-valent iron, efficient mixotrophic denitrification of oligotrophic secondary effluent can be achieved. Thiosulfate plays a vital role in promoting TN removal efficiency, while corrosion of Fe0 releases OH- to neutralize H+ from thiosulfate-driven denitrification, creating a suitable environment for denitrification. The coordination of thiosulfate and Fe0 maintains the dominance of Thiobacillus for denitrification.