Influence of decades-long irrigation with secondary treated wastewater on soil microbial diversity, resistome dynamics, and antibiotrophy development.

ABSTRACT: In arid and semi-arid regions, the use of treated wastewater (TWW) for irrigation is gaining ground to alleviate pressure on natural water sources. Despite said treatment, the existing methods fail to eliminate potentially dangerous contaminants. As such, this study assessed the impact of long-term TWW irrigation (5 and 25 years) on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial resistance to heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cd) and antibiotics (tetracycline and amoxicillin). The results revealed heightened salinity and conductivity and reduced pH in irrigated soils. TWW induces harmful effects by reducing microbial density and size, leading to the disappearance of sensitive populations. Conversely, resilient populations, which mainly utilize antibiotics as a carbon source, have adapted. Metagenomic 1

SUBMITTER: Yagoubi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11544057 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature