Dataset Information

Geospatial Patterns of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in the US EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment Survey.

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is a serious global problem due to the overuse of antimicrobials in human, animal, and agriculture sectors. There is intense research to control the dissemination of AR, but little is known regarding the environmental drivers influencing its spread. Although AR genes (ARGs) are detected in many different environments, the risk associated with the spread of these genes to microbial pathogens is unknown. Recreational microbial exposure risks are likely to be greater in water bodies receiving discharge from human and animal waste in comparison to less disturbed aquatic environments. Given this scenario, research practitioners are encouraged to consider an ecological context to assess the effect of environmental ARGs on public health. Here, we use a stratified, probabilistic survey of nearly 2000 sites to determine national patterns of the anthropogenic indicator class I integron Integrase gene (intI1) and several ARGs in 1.2 million kilometers of United States (US) rivers and streams. Gene concentrations were greater in eastern than in western regions and in rivers and streams in poor condition. These first of their kind findings on the national distribution of intI1 and ARGs provide new information to aid risk assessment and implement mitigation strategies to protect public health.

SUBMITTER: Keely SP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9632466 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Geospatial Patterns of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in the US EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment Survey.

Keely Scott P SP Brinkman Nichole E NE Wheaton Emily A EA Jahne Michael A MA Siefring Shawn D SD Varma Manju M Hill Ryan A RA Leibowitz Scott G SG Martin Roy W RW Garland Jay L JL Haugland Richard A RA

Environmental science & technology 20220623 21

Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is a serious global problem due to the overuse of antimicrobials in human, animal, and agriculture sectors. There is intense research to control the dissemination of AR, but little is known regarding the environmental drivers influencing its spread. Although AR genes (ARGs) are detected in many different environments, the risk associated with the spread of these genes to microbial pathogens is unknown. Recreational microbial exposure risks are likely to be greater i ...[more]

PMID: 35737903

Similar Datasets

Project description:Rigorous assessments of the ecological condition of water resources and the effect of human activities on those waters require quantitative physical, chemical, and biological data. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's river and stream surveys quantify river and stream bed particle size and stability, instream habitat complexity and cover, riparian vegetation cover and structure, and anthropogenic disturbance activities. Physical habitat is strongly controlled by natural geoclimatic factors that co-vary with human activities. We expressed the anthropogenic alteration of physical habitat as O/E ratios of observed habitat metric values divided by values expected under least-disturbed reference conditions, where site-specific expected values vary given their geoclimatic and geomorphic context. We set criteria for good, fair, and poor condition based on the distribution of O/E values in regional least-disturbed reference sites. Poor conditions existed in 22-24% of the 1.2 million km of streams and rivers in the conterminous U.S. for riparian human disturbance, streambed sediment and riparian vegetation cover, versus 14% for instream habitat complexity. Based on the same four indicators, the percentage of stream length in poor condition within 9 separate U.S. ecoregions ranged from 4% to 42%. Associations of our physical habitat indices with anthropogenic pressures demonstrate the scope of anthropogenic habitat alteration; habitat condition was negatively related to the level of anthropogenic disturbance nationally and in nearly all ecoregions. Relative risk estimates showed that streams and rivers with poor sediment, riparian cover complexity, or instream habitat cover conditions were 1.4 to 2.6 times as likely to also have fish or macroinvertebrate assemblages in poor condition. Our physical habitat condition indicators help explain deviations in biological conditions from those observed among least-disturbed sites and inform management actions for rehabilitating impaired waters and mitigating further ecological degradation.

Dataset Information

Geospatial Patterns of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in the US EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment Survey.

Publications

Geospatial Patterns of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in the US EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment Survey.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets