Deciphering basic and key traits of bio-pollutants in a long-term reclaimed water headwater urban stream

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Dec 20:957:177696. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177696. Epub 2024 Nov 23.

Abstract

Reclaimed water has been recognized as a stable water resource for ecological replenishment in riverine environment. However, information about the bio-pollutants spatial and temporal distributions and the associated risk in this environment remains insufficient. Herein, the bio-pollutant profile in a long-term reclaimed water headwater urban stream, including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements and pathogens, were revealed by metagenomics. Notably, the temporal variation in bio-pollutant levels exceeded spatial fluctuations, possibly due to the varied rainfall intensity. Specially, multidrug resistance genes and Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) were the dominant ARGs and pathogens, respectively, exhibiting higher abundance in the dry season, especially in the downstream of the receiving point, where the bio-risk also peaked. A. baumannii and Ralstonia solanacearum were found to be the main plasmids contributors inducing the horizontal gene transfer process in this stream. Overall, A. baumannii contributed over 50 % bio-risk values in most samples, indicating that it was the "overlord" in this headwater urban stream. This study revealed characteristics of bio-pollutants in a typical long-term reclaimed water headwater urban stream, highlighting the superiority of A. baumannii in bio-pollutants, which should be a key consideration in the bio-pollutants surveillance for reclaimed waters.

Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii; Bio-pollutants; Multidrug resistance genes; Reclaimed water; Risk assessment.

MeSH terms

  • Acinetobacter baumannii / genetics
  • China
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial / genetics
  • Environmental Monitoring*
  • Rivers* / chemistry
  • Rivers* / microbiology
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid / methods
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis

Substances

  • Water Pollutants, Chemical