The photo-based treatment technology simultaneously removes resistant bacteria and resistant genes from wastewater

Because of the recent widespread usage of antibiotics,the acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes(ARGs)were prevalent in the majority of habitats.Generally,the biological wastewater treatment processes used in wastewater treatment plants have a limited efficiencies of antibiotics resistant bacteria(ARB)disinfection and ARGs degradation and even promote the proliferation of ARGs.Problematically,ARB and ARGs in effluent pose potential risks if they are not further treated.Photocatalytic oxidation is considered a promising disinfection technology,where the photocatalytic process generates many free radicals that enhance the interaction between light and deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA)for ARB elimination and subsequent degradation of ARGs.This reviewaims to illustrate the progress of photocatalytic oxidation technology for removing antibiotics resistant(AR)from wastewater in recent years.We discuss the sources and transfer of ARGs in wastewater.The overall removal efficiencies of ultraviolet radiation(UV)/chlorination,UV/ozone,UV/H_(2)O_(2),and UV/sulfate-radical based system for ARB and ARGs,as well as the experimental parameters and removal mechanisms,are systematically discussed.The contribution of photocatalytic materials based on TiO_(2) and g-C_(3)N_(4) to the inactivation of ARB and degradation of ARGs is highlighted,producingmany free radicals to attack ARB and ARGs while effectively limiting the horizontal gene transfer(HGT)in wastewater.Finally,based on the reviewed studies,future research directions are proposed to realize specific photocatalytic oxidation technology applications and overcome current challenges.

A preliminary investigation on the occurrence and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in the Beijiang River, South China

The occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes （ARGs） was investigated and quantified in 20 water samples collected in the Beijiang River, South China. Sulfonamide- and tetracycline-resistant bacteria were present in 17 and 14 of the collected 20 samples. For sulfonamide ARGs, sulI and sulII were frequently observed in the Beijiang River. The levels of sulI were higher than sulII （p 〈 0.05）, with the mean values of （1.41 ± 1.12） × 10-2 and （1.58 ± 1.71） × 10-3 copies/16S rDNA, respectively. For tetracycline ARGs, tetG had the highest frequency, 100%, followed by tetA （85%）, tetO （85%）, tetC （70%）, tetX （60%）, tetM （40%） and tetQ （20%）, while tetE and tetS were not detected in all the samples from the Beijiang River. On the other hand, tetC had the highest concentration, ranging from 8.30 × 10-2 to 13.20 copies/16S rDNA. The poor correlation between ARGs and antibiotic concentrations revealed that the self-amplification and persistence of ARGs were the reasons that made ARGs exist in the water environment even though the antibiotic selecting pressure was absent. Because so few field measurements have been conducted for investigating the levels of ARGs in rivers in South China, this study provides an important insight on better understanding the occurrence and spread of ARGs in such an ecosystem.