Unveiling the Hidden Resistome: A Comprehensive Risk Assessment of Latent Antibiotic Resistance Genes in China's Wastewater.
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| Title: | Unveiling the Hidden Resistome: A Comprehensive Risk Assessment of Latent Antibiotic Resistance Genes in China's Wastewater. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Yang, Wenshan1 (AUTHOR) yangwenshan@nwafu.edu.cn, Guo, Jiaming1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Environmental Microbiology. May2026, Vol. 28 Issue 5, p1-14. 14p. |
| Subjects: | Drug resistance in bacteria, Sewage, Risk assessment, Horizontal gene transfer, Mobile genetic elements, Metagenomics, Ecosystems |
| Geographic Terms: | China |
| Abstract: | Wastewater systems are important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but the ecological and health risks of numerous latent ARGs (LARGs) remain unclear. In this study, we analysed 636 wastewater metagenomic samples from China and constructed a database containing 1587 LARGs. Across all environments, LARGs encoding serine‐β‐lactamases were the most abundant and prevalent. A comprehensive risk assessment, integrating host pathogenicity, gene mobility and environmental prevalence, was performed on 561 LARGs identified in metagenome‐assembled genomes. Most LARGs exhibited low levels across all three dimensions, suggesting limited transmission risk. Nevertheless, 37 high‐risk LARGs were identified, indicating non‐negligible threats. Functional validation showed that the top three extremely high‐risk LARGs significantly enhanced host resistance to ampicillin and ciprofloxacin when expressed in Escherichia coli, while AlphaFold3 revealed typical resistance protein folding, further supporting their functional activity. Horizontal gene transfer analysis indicated that these high‐risk genes have disseminated from wastewater to natural water bodies such as rivers via plasmid‐mediated mechanisms. Collectively, wastewater acts not only as an 'accumulation pool' for LARGs but also as a potential source releasing 'super‐risky' resistance gene into the environment. Therefore, urgent efforts are needed to monitor and control these high‐risk LARGs and their mobile genetic elements to block their environmental spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Environmental Microbiology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 194013088 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Unveiling the Hidden Resistome: A Comprehensive Risk Assessment of Latent Antibiotic Resistance Genes in China's Wastewater. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Wenshan%22">Yang, Wenshan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> yangwenshan@nwafu.edu.cn</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Guo%2C+Jiaming%22">Guo, Jiaming</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Environmental+Microbiology%22">Environmental Microbiology</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 28 Issue 5, p1-14. 14p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drug+resistance+in+bacteria%22">Drug resistance in bacteria</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sewage%22">Sewage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Risk+assessment%22">Risk assessment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Horizontal+gene+transfer%22">Horizontal gene transfer</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mobile+genetic+elements%22">Mobile genetic elements</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Metagenomics%22">Metagenomics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ecosystems%22">Ecosystems</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Wastewater systems are important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), but the ecological and health risks of numerous latent ARGs (LARGs) remain unclear. In this study, we analysed 636 wastewater metagenomic samples from China and constructed a database containing 1587 LARGs. Across all environments, LARGs encoding serine‐β‐lactamases were the most abundant and prevalent. A comprehensive risk assessment, integrating host pathogenicity, gene mobility and environmental prevalence, was performed on 561 LARGs identified in metagenome‐assembled genomes. Most LARGs exhibited low levels across all three dimensions, suggesting limited transmission risk. Nevertheless, 37 high‐risk LARGs were identified, indicating non‐negligible threats. Functional validation showed that the top three extremely high‐risk LARGs significantly enhanced host resistance to ampicillin and ciprofloxacin when expressed in Escherichia coli, while AlphaFold3 revealed typical resistance protein folding, further supporting their functional activity. Horizontal gene transfer analysis indicated that these high‐risk genes have disseminated from wastewater to natural water bodies such as rivers via plasmid‐mediated mechanisms. Collectively, wastewater acts not only as an 'accumulation pool' for LARGs but also as a potential source releasing 'super‐risky' resistance gene into the environment. Therefore, urgent efforts are needed to monitor and control these high‐risk LARGs and their mobile genetic elements to block their environmental spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Environmental Microbiology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/1462-2920.70330 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Drug resistance in bacteria Type: general – SubjectFull: Sewage Type: general – SubjectFull: Risk assessment Type: general – SubjectFull: Horizontal gene transfer Type: general – SubjectFull: Mobile genetic elements Type: general – SubjectFull: Metagenomics Type: general – SubjectFull: Ecosystems Type: general – SubjectFull: China Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Unveiling the Hidden Resistome: A Comprehensive Risk Assessment of Latent Antibiotic Resistance Genes in China's Wastewater. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Yang, Wenshan – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Guo, Jiaming IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Text: May2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 14622912 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 28 – Type: issue Value: 5 Titles: – TitleFull: Environmental Microbiology Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
