Decoupling Pharmaceutical Contamination and Antibiotic Resistance Risks in Mid-Yangtze Drinking Water Systems: The Pivotal Role of Nutrient-Driven Horizontal Gene Transfer.

The Yangtze River, a critical drinking water source for over 500 million people, faces escalating contamination from pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study systematically investigated 11 water sources and 39 tap water sites in the Mid-Yangtze River, quantifying 10 pharmac...

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Publicado en:Environmental Management Vol. 75; no. 9; pp. 2209 - 2225
Autores principales: He, Peng, Peng, Jingqian, Wei, Lin, Wu, Yuting, Zhang, Liping, Zhou, Qiaohong, Song, Shaoxian, Quintana, Mildred, Wu, Zhenbin, Wu, Junmei
Formato: Journal Article
Publicado: Springer Nature Sep2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Decoupling Pharmaceutical Contamination and Antibiotic Resistance Risks in Mid-Yangtze Drinking Water Systems: The Pivotal Role of Nutrient-Driven Horizontal Gene Transfer.
      aug:
        au:
          He, Peng
          Peng, Jingqian
          Wei, Lin
          Wu, Yuting
          Zhang, Liping
          Zhou, Qiaohong
          Song, Shaoxian
          Quintana, Mildred
          Wu, Zhenbin
          Wu, Junmei
        affil: https://ror.org/04gcegc37 School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
      sug:
      ab: The Yangtze River, a critical drinking water source for over 500 million people, faces escalating contamination from pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study systematically investigated 11 water sources and 39 tap water sites in the Mid-Yangtze River, quantifying 10 pharmaceuticals and 384 ARGs via ultra-trace analysis (UPLC-MS/MS) and HT-qPCR. Pharmaceuticals occurred at low total concentrations (1.45–6.41 ng/L), with tap water levels reduced by 1–2 orders of magnitude post-treatment. Notably, we observed decoupling between pharmaceutical exposure and ARGs proliferation—while pharmaceuticals posed minimal human health risks (RQh <10−4) and moderate ecological risks (MRQe = 0.84), environmental factors (nitrogen, phosphorus, organic matter) explained 51.2% of ARGs variation, far exceeding pharmaceutical contributions (2.9%). Dissolved organic carbon, nitrate nitrogen, and total phosphorus emerged as primary environmental drivers of ARGs/MGEs proliferation, with mobile genetic elements (MGEs, e.g., tnpA-2, intI1) serving as central hubs for horizontal transfer. Network analysis revealed anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen/naproxen) unexpectedly co-occurred with resistance determinants despite their low selective pressure. This decoupling mechanism demonstrates that nutrient-driven gene transfer supersedes pharmaceutical selection in sustaining ARGs persistence, even under low exposure conditions. The findings necessitate paradigm shifts in risk management: controlling nutrient loads and targeting MGEs may prove more effective than solely regulating pharmaceuticals for mitigating antimicrobial resistance in drinking water systems.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
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    language: English
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