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Nature-based bioreactors: Tackling antibiotic resistance in urban wastewater treatment

2024; Elsevier BV; Volume: 22; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ese.2024.100445

2096-9643

Lluís Bertrans-Tubau, Sergio Martínez-Campos, Júlio C. López-Doval, Meritxell Abril, Sergio Ponsá, Victòria Salvadó, Manuela Hidalgo, Anna Pico-Tomàs, José Luís Balcázar, Lorenzo Proia,

Antibiotic Use and Resistance

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics have accelerated the selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, significantly impacting human, animal, and environmental health. As aquatic environments are vulnerable to antibiotic resistance, suitable management practices should be adopted to tackle this phenomenon. Here we show an effective, nature-based solution for reducing antibiotic resistance from actual wastewater. We utilize a bioreactor that relies on benthic (biofilms) and planktonic microbial communities to treat secondary effluent from a small urban wastewater treatment plant (<10,000 population equivalent). This treated effluent is eventually released into the local aquatic ecosystem. We observe high removal efficiency for genes that provide resistance to commonly used antibiotic families, as well as for mobile genetic elements that could potentially aid in their spread. Importantly, we notice a buildup of sulfonamide (