太湖是我国第三大淡水湖,是我国重要的饮用水源,防洪,水产养殖,农业,和其他活动。该湖与许多主河和小河相连,西河流入,东侧流出,据信这些流入河极大地加剧了湖泊的水污染。这项研究旨在评估抗生素抗性基因(ARGs)和移动遗传元件(MGEs)的多样性和丰度,以及它们与水质参数和土地利用方式的关系。2019年春夏季采集了10条主要入河河流和太湖水源保护区的水样。高通量分析用于检测和量化384个ARG和MGE,此外,分析了11个水质参数。结果表明,在每个入流河流中检测到的ARGs/MGE数量在春季为105至185个,在夏季为107至180个。氨基糖苷类抗性基因是检测到的最主要的ARGs类型,其次是β-内酰胺抗性,多药耐药,大环内酯-lincosamide-链脲酶B(MLSB)抗性基因,贡献了65%的ARG。水质参数与ARGs绝对丰度显著相关。此外,还观察到ARGs和MGEs之间的显着相关性,这表明通过MGEs水平基因转移在生物体之间进行潜在的基因转移。ARGs与耕地和工业用地表现出较强的正相关,与河流呈负相关,湖,森林,绿色缓冲区的土地,以及港口和港口的土地。总体结果表明,太湖入湖河流受到多种养分和高丰度ARGs等多种来源的污染,这需要注意更好地管理这个湖的流入河流。
Taihu Lake is the third largest freshwater lake in China and an important source for drinking water, flood protection, aquaculture, agriculture, and other activities. This lake is connected to many principal and small rivers with inflow from west and outflow on the eastern side of the lake and these inflow rivers are believed to significantly contribute to the water pollution of the lake. This study was aimed at assessing the diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and their relationship with water quality parameters and land use patterns. Water samples were collected from 10 major inflow rivers and the source water protection area of the Taihu Lake in spring and summer 2019. High-throughput profiling was used to detect and quantify 384 ARGs and MGEs and in addition, 11 water quality parameters were analyzed. The results showed that the number of ARGs/MGEs detected in each inflow river ranged from 105 to 185 in spring and 107 to 180 in summer. The aminoglycoside resistance genes were the most dominant types ARGs detected followed by beta-lactam resistance, multidrug resistance, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB) resistance genes, which contributed to 65% of the ARGs. The water quality parameters showed significant correlation with absolute abundance of ARGs. Furthermore, significant correlation between ARGs and MGEs were also observed which demonstrates potential gene transfer among organisms through horizontal gene transfer via MGEs. ARGs showed strong positive correlation with cultivated and industrial lands whereas, negative correlation was observed with river, lake, forest, land for green buffer, and land for port and harbor. The overall results indicate that the inflow rivers of Taihu Lake are polluted by various sources including multiple nutrients and high abundance of ARGs, which needs attention for better management of the inflow rivers of this lake.