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Open Waste Canals as Potential Sources of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Aerosols in Urban Kanpur, India.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ginn, O; Berendes, D; Wood, A; Bivins, A; Rocha-Melogno, L; Deshusses, MA; Tripathi, SN; Bergin, MH; Brown, J
Published in: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
March 2021

Understanding the movement of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment is critical to managing their spread. To assess potential ARG transport through the air via urban bioaerosols in cities with poor sanitation, we quantified ARGs and a mobile integron (MI) in ambient air over periods spanning rainy and dry seasons in Kanpur, India (n = 53), where open wastewater canals (OWCs) are prevalent. Gene targets represented major antibiotic groups-tetracyclines (tetA), fluoroquinolines (qnrB), and beta-lactams (blaTEM)-and a class 1 mobile integron (intI1). Over half of air samples located near, and up to 1 km from OWCs with fecal contamination (n = 45) in Kanpur had detectable targets above the experimentally determined limits of detection (LOD): most commonly intI1 and tetA (56% and 51% of samples, respectively), followed by blaTEM (8.9%) and qnrB (0%). ARG and MI densities in these positive air samples ranged from 6.9 × 101 to 5.2 × 103 gene copies/m3 air. Most (7/8) control samples collected 1 km away from OWCs were negative for any targets. In comparing experimental samples with control samples, we found that intI1 and tetA densities in air are significantly higher (P = 0.04 and P = 0.01, respectively, alpha = 0.05) near laboratory-confirmed fecal contaminated waters than at the control site. These data suggest increased densities of ARGs and MIs in bioaerosols in urban environments with inadequate sanitation. In such settings, aerosols may play a role in the spread of AR.

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Published In

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene

DOI

EISSN

1476-1645

ISSN

0002-9637

Publication Date

March 2021

Volume

104

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1761 / 1767

Related Subject Headings

  • beta-Lactams
  • Water Microbiology
  • Wastewater
  • Tropical Medicine
  • Tetracyclines
  • Sanitation
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Microbial Consortia
  • Integrons
  • India
 

Citation

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Ginn, O., Berendes, D., Wood, A., Bivins, A., Rocha-Melogno, L., Deshusses, M. A., … Brown, J. (2021). Open Waste Canals as Potential Sources of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Aerosols in Urban Kanpur, India. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 104(5), 1761–1767. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-1222
Ginn, Olivia, David Berendes, Anna Wood, Aaron Bivins, Lucas Rocha-Melogno, Marc A. Deshusses, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Michael H. Bergin, and Joe Brown. “Open Waste Canals as Potential Sources of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Aerosols in Urban Kanpur, India.The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 104, no. 5 (March 2021): 1761–67. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-1222.
Ginn O, Berendes D, Wood A, Bivins A, Rocha-Melogno L, Deshusses MA, et al. Open Waste Canals as Potential Sources of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Aerosols in Urban Kanpur, India. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2021 Mar;104(5):1761–7.
Ginn, Olivia, et al. “Open Waste Canals as Potential Sources of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Aerosols in Urban Kanpur, India.The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 104, no. 5, Mar. 2021, pp. 1761–67. Epmc, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.20-1222.
Ginn O, Berendes D, Wood A, Bivins A, Rocha-Melogno L, Deshusses MA, Tripathi SN, Bergin MH, Brown J. Open Waste Canals as Potential Sources of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Aerosols in Urban Kanpur, India. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2021 Mar;104(5):1761–1767.

Published In

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene

DOI

EISSN

1476-1645

ISSN

0002-9637

Publication Date

March 2021

Volume

104

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1761 / 1767

Related Subject Headings

  • beta-Lactams
  • Water Microbiology
  • Wastewater
  • Tropical Medicine
  • Tetracyclines
  • Sanitation
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Microbial Consortia
  • Integrons
  • India