Tetracycline induces the formation of biofilm of bacteria from different phases of wastewater treatment

Stachurová, Tereza (author), Malachová, Kateřina (author), Semerád, Jaroslav (author), Sterniša, Meta (author), Rybková, Zuzana (author), Smole Možina, Sonja (author)

The study monitored the effect of tetracycline on bacterial biofilm formation and compared biofilm formation by resistant bacterial strains in different phases of the wastewater treatment process in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The crystal violet staining method was used to evaluate the biofilm formation. Biofilm-related bacterial properties were characterized by hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and motility tests. The relative abundance of tetracycline resistance genes (tetW, tetM, tetO, tetA and tetB) in wastewaters were subsequently quantified using qPCR. The results show that the isolates from the nitrification tank produce biofilm with up to 10 times greater intensity relative to the isolates from the sedimentation tank. In isolates of Aeromonas sp. from the nitrification tank, increased biofilm production in the occurrence of tetracycline from a concentration of 0.03125 µg/mL was observed. The tetW gene showed the highest relative abundance out of all the tested genes. From the sampling points, its abundance was the highest in the sedimentation tank of the WWTP. Based on these results, it can be assumed that resistant bacteria are able to form a biofilm and sub-inhibitory tetracycline concentrations induce biofilm formation. WWTPs thus represent a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes and contribute to the spread of resistance in the natural environment.

• Language: English
• Keywords: biofilm, tetracycline, tetracycline resistance bacteria, tetracycline resistance genes, wastewater treatment plant
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: 20 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 8, art. 989
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-134274
• UDC: 579.2
• ISSN on article: 2227-9717
• DOI: 10.3390/pr8080989
• COBISS.SI-ID: 25693955
• Publication date in RUL: 04.01.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Processes
• Shortened title: Processes
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2227-9717
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523353113

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 14.08.2020

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: tetraciklin, biofilm