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Global diversity and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in human wastewater treatment systems

Author

Listed:
  • Congmin Zhu

    (Capital Medical University
    Beijing Key Laboratory of Fundamental Research on Biomechanics in Clinical Application, Capital Medical University
    University of Oklahoma)

  • Linwei Wu

    (University of Oklahoma
    Peking University)

  • Daliang Ning

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Renmao Tian

    (University of Oklahoma
    Illinois Institute of Technology)

  • Shuhong Gao

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Bing Zhang

    (Tsinghua University
    Minzu University of China)

  • Jianshu Zhao

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Ya Zhang

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Naijia Xiao

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Yajiao Wang

    (University of Oklahoma)

  • Mathew R. Brown

    (Newcastle University)

  • Qichao Tu

    (Shandong University)

  • Feng Ju

    (Westlake University
    Westlake Institute for Advanced Study)

  • George F. Wells

    (Northwestern University)

  • Jianhua Guo

    (The University of Queensland)

  • Zhili He

    (Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory
    Hunan Agricultural University)

  • Per H. Nielsen

    (Aalborg University)

  • Aijie Wang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Yu Zhang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Ting Chen

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Qiang He

    (The University of Tennessee
    The University of Tennessee)

  • Craig S. Criddle

    (Stanford University)

  • Michael Wagner

    (University of Vienna)

  • James M. Tiedje

    (Michigan State University)

  • Thomas P. Curtis

    (Newcastle University)

  • Xianghua Wen

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Yunfeng Yang

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Lisa Alvarez-Cohen

    (University of California
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • David A. Stahl

    (University of Washington)

  • Pedro J. J. Alvarez

    (Rice University)

  • Bruce E. Rittmann

    (Arizona State University)

  • Jizhong Zhou

    (University of Oklahoma
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    University of Oklahoma
    University of Oklahoma)

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to human health, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Here, we analyze the antibiotic resistomes of 226 activated sludge samples from 142 WWTPs across six continents, using a consistent pipeline for sample collection, DNA sequencing and analysis. We find that ARGs are diverse and similarly abundant, with a core set of 20 ARGs present in all WWTPs. ARG composition differs across continents and is distinct from that of the human gut and the oceans. ARG composition strongly correlates with bacterial taxonomic composition, with Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria being the major carriers. ARG abundance positively correlates with the presence of mobile genetic elements, and 57% of the 1112 recovered high-quality genomes possess putatively mobile ARGs. Resistome variations appear to be driven by a complex combination of stochastic processes and deterministic abiotic factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Congmin Zhu & Linwei Wu & Daliang Ning & Renmao Tian & Shuhong Gao & Bing Zhang & Jianshu Zhao & Ya Zhang & Naijia Xiao & Yajiao Wang & Mathew R. Brown & Qichao Tu & Feng Ju & George F. Wells & Jianhu, 2025. "Global diversity and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in human wastewater treatment systems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59019-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59019-3
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