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Prevalence of bacterial resistance within an eco-agricultural system in Hangzhou, China

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Abstract

The wide use of antibiotics in the animal husbandry and the relevant sustainable industries may promote the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), which constitutes a growing threat to human health. The objective of this study was to determine the abundance and diversity of sulfonamide- and tetracycline-resistant bacteria within an eco-agricultural system (EAS) in Hangzhou, China. We investigated samples at every link in the EAS, from livestock manure, to biogas residues and biogas slurry, to vegetable and ryegrass fields, to a fish pond. A combination of culture-based and 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing method was used in this study. Within the studied system, the average rate of bacterial resistance to sulfonamide (46.19 %) was much higher than that of tetracycline (8.51 %) (p < 0.01). There were 224 isolates that were enumerated and sequenced, 108 of which were identified to species level. The genera comprising the sulfamethoxazole-resistant (SMXr) bacteria were generally different from those of tetracycline-resistant (TCr) bacteria. Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter were the most dominant genera of SMXr bacteria (19.30 % of the total resistant bacteria) and TCr bacteria (14.04 % of the total resistant bacteria), respectively. Several strains of resistant opportunistic pathogens (e.g., Pantoea agglomerans) were detected in edible vegetable samples, which may exert a potential threat to both pig production and human health. In general, this study indicates that the EAS is an important reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, some of which may be pathogenic.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2014ZX07101-012) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21277117 and 20210008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Like Xu, Yanyun Qian, Chao Su, Weixiao Cheng, Jianan Li & Hong Chen

  2. Fuli Institute of Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Mark L. Wahlqvist

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  1. Like Xu
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  2. Yanyun Qian
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  3. Chao Su
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  4. Weixiao Cheng
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  7. Hong Chen
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Correspondence to Hong Chen.

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Responsible editor: Robert Duran

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Xu, L., Qian, Y., Su, C. et al. Prevalence of bacterial resistance within an eco-agricultural system in Hangzhou, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 21369–21376 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7345-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7345-2

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