摘要

       最近的研究表明，污水处理厂 (WWTP) 显着改变了接收环境中抗生素抗性基因 (ARG) 的数量和分布，表明污水处理是限制 ARG 传播的重要节点。该研究检查了微成分 ARG 的膜处理潜力以及天然废水胶体对其去除程度的影响。将含有 vanA（万古霉素）和 blaTEM（β-内酰胺）ARG 的质粒与对照缓冲液相比，分别加入三种代表性的 WWTP 流出物中，并通过从 0.45 μm 到 1 kDa 的一系列微滤和超滤步骤通过定量聚合酶链反应进行跟踪。 100 kDa 或更小的膜实现了 ARG 的显着去除，废水胶体的存在导致 10 kDa 和 1 kDa 膜的去除增强。观察到 ARG 去除与相应的蛋白质、多糖和总有机碳胶体部分显着相关。氧化铝膜比相同孔径 (0.1 μm) 的聚偏二氟乙烯膜去除 ARG 的程度更大，但仅限于存在废水材料的情况下。对照研究证实，与其他潜在损失来源相比，膜处理是去除 ARG 的主要机制。这项研究表明，先进的膜处理技术有望管理废水中 ARG 的公共健康风险，甚至可以通过现实废水中的胶体来增强去除效果。

       Recent studies have demonstrated that wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) significantly alter the magnitude and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in receiving environments, indicating that wastewater treatment represents an important node for limiting ARG dissemination. This study examined the potential for membrane treatment of microconstituent ARGs and the effect of native wastewater colloids on the extent of their removal. Plasmids containing vanA (vancomycin) and blaTEM (β-lactam) ARGs were spiked into three representative WWTP effluents versus a control buffer and tracked by quantitative polymerase chain reaction through a cascade of microfiltration and ultrafiltration steps ranging from 0.45 μm to 1 kDa. Significant removal of ARGs was achieved by membranes of 100 kDa and smaller, and presence of wastewater colloids resulted in enhanced removal by 10 kDa and 1 kDa membranes. ARG removal was observed to correlate significantly with the corresponding protein, polysaccharide, and total organic carbon colloidal fractions. Alumina membranes removed ARGs to a greater extent than polyvinylidene fluoride membranes of the same pore size (0.1 μm), but only in the presence of wastewater material. Control studies confirmed that membrane treatment was the primary mechanism of ARG removal, versus other potential sources of loss. This study suggests that advanced membrane treatment technology is promising for managing public health risks of ARGs in wastewater effluents and that removal may even be enhanced by colloids in real-world wastewaters.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0043135412006872