Seasonal Changes in Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Rivers and Reservoirs in South Korea

Abstract

The fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments, especially in rivers and reservoirs, is receiving growing attention in South Korea because reservoirs are an important source of drinking water in this country. Seasonal changes in the abundance of 11 ARGs and a mobile genetic element (int1) in two reservoirs in South Korea, located near drinking water treatment plants in Cheonan and Cheongju cities, were monitored for 6 mo. In these drinking water sources, total ARG concentrations reached 2.5 × 107 copies mL‒1, which is one order of magnitude higher than in influents of some wastewater treatment plants in South Korea. During the sampling periods in August, October, and November 2016 and January 2017, sulfonamides (sul1), β-lactam antibiotics (blaTEM), and tetracycline (tetA) resistance genes were the most abundant genes at the two sites. The ARG abundance consistently increased in January relative to 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) counts. General stress responses to oxidative stress and other environmental factors associated with the cold season could be significant drivers of ARG horizontal gene transfer in the environment. Accordingly, removal of ARGs as a key step in water treatment warrants more attention.