Profiling of Bacterial Communities of Hospital Wastewater Reveals Clinically Relevant Genera and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes

In Mexico, hospital wastewater (HWW) is a source of chemical and microbiological contamination, and it is released into the municipal sewage system without prior treatment. This water may contain pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes, which represent a risk to Public Health and the...

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Main Authors: Clemente Cruz-Cruz, Javier Gaytán-Cervantes, Carolina González-Torres, Andres Emmanuel Nolasco-Rojas, Miguel Ángel Loyola-Cruz, Laura Delgado-Balbuena, Josué Delgado-Balbuena, Marianela Paredes-Mendoza, María Concepción Tamayo-Ordóñez, Yahaira de Jesús Tamayo-Ordoñez, Emilio Mariano Durán-Manuel, Araceli Rojas-Bernabé, Carlos Alberto Jiménez-Zamarripa, Oscar Sosa-Hernández, Omar Agni García-Hernández, Esther Ocharan-Hernández, Paola Berenice Zárate-Segura, Elizabeth González-Terreros, Daniel Alejandro Ramírez-Villanueva, Claudia Camelia Calzada-Mendoza, Juan Manuel Bello-López
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1316
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author Clemente Cruz-Cruz
Javier Gaytán-Cervantes
Carolina González-Torres
Andres Emmanuel Nolasco-Rojas
Miguel Ángel Loyola-Cruz
Laura Delgado-Balbuena
Josué Delgado-Balbuena
Marianela Paredes-Mendoza
María Concepción Tamayo-Ordóñez
Yahaira de Jesús Tamayo-Ordoñez
Emilio Mariano Durán-Manuel
Araceli Rojas-Bernabé
Carlos Alberto Jiménez-Zamarripa
Oscar Sosa-Hernández
Omar Agni García-Hernández
Esther Ocharan-Hernández
Paola Berenice Zárate-Segura
Elizabeth González-Terreros
Daniel Alejandro Ramírez-Villanueva
Claudia Camelia Calzada-Mendoza
Juan Manuel Bello-López
author_facet Clemente Cruz-Cruz
Javier Gaytán-Cervantes
Carolina González-Torres
Andres Emmanuel Nolasco-Rojas
Miguel Ángel Loyola-Cruz
Laura Delgado-Balbuena
Josué Delgado-Balbuena
Marianela Paredes-Mendoza
María Concepción Tamayo-Ordóñez
Yahaira de Jesús Tamayo-Ordoñez
Emilio Mariano Durán-Manuel
Araceli Rojas-Bernabé
Carlos Alberto Jiménez-Zamarripa
Oscar Sosa-Hernández
Omar Agni García-Hernández
Esther Ocharan-Hernández
Paola Berenice Zárate-Segura
Elizabeth González-Terreros
Daniel Alejandro Ramírez-Villanueva
Claudia Camelia Calzada-Mendoza
Juan Manuel Bello-López
author_sort Clemente Cruz-Cruz
collection DOAJ
description In Mexico, hospital wastewater (HWW) is a source of chemical and microbiological contamination, and it is released into the municipal sewage system without prior treatment. This water may contain pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes, which represent a risk to Public Health and the environment. So far, there are no studies that analyse this problem comprehensively, relating bacterial population structures, chemical contaminants, and seasonality. The aim of this work was to seasonally characterise the bacterial communities of HWW, including clinically relevant bacteria and resistance genes in Hospital Juárez de México (HJM), and to evaluate the impact of physicochemical factors on their composition. A one-year observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at five HWW discharge points of HJM. Fourteen physicochemical parameters were determined by using standard methodologies, and statistical differences between discharges and seasons were evaluated. Bacterial communities were analysed by targeted amplicon sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the <i>16S rRNA</i> gene. In addition, the presence of eight antimicrobial resistance genes of local epidemiological importance was assessed. Data were analysed using alpha and beta diversity indices, principal component analysis, and multivariate statistical tests. HWW showed high taxonomic diversity, with Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes standing out. Clinically relevant bacteria were identified in 73.3% of the analyses, with <i>Enterobacter</i> and <i>Escherichia-Shigella</i> predominating. Total and dissolved solids, temperature, nitrate, and pH significantly influenced the bacterial composition of HWW. Seven out of the eight genes evaluated were identified, with <i>bla<sub>KPC</sub></i>, <i>bla<sub>OXA-40</sub></i>, and <i>mcr-1</i> being the most frequent, showing significant seasonal differences. This study underlines the microbiological and chemical complexity of HWW, highlighting the impact of clinically relevant bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes on Public Health. The findings emphasise the need to implement hospital waste management programmes and ideally specific treatment plants to minimise the associated risks and protect the environment and human health.
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spelling doaj-art-7dbf5b637cf94a9a8f8ff167976a61be2025-08-20T03:27:40ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-06-01136131610.3390/microorganisms13061316Profiling of Bacterial Communities of Hospital Wastewater Reveals Clinically Relevant Genera and Antimicrobial Resistance GenesClemente Cruz-Cruz0Javier Gaytán-Cervantes1Carolina González-Torres2Andres Emmanuel Nolasco-Rojas3Miguel Ángel Loyola-Cruz4Laura Delgado-Balbuena5Josué Delgado-Balbuena6Marianela Paredes-Mendoza7María Concepción Tamayo-Ordóñez8Yahaira de Jesús Tamayo-Ordoñez9Emilio Mariano Durán-Manuel10Araceli Rojas-Bernabé11Carlos Alberto Jiménez-Zamarripa12Oscar Sosa-Hernández13Omar Agni García-Hernández14Esther Ocharan-Hernández15Paola Berenice Zárate-Segura16Elizabeth González-Terreros17Daniel Alejandro Ramírez-Villanueva18Claudia Camelia Calzada-Mendoza19Juan Manuel Bello-López20Hospital Juárez de México, Mexico City 07760, MexicoDivisión de Desarrollo de la Investigación en Salud, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Mexico City 06720, MexicoDivisión de Desarrollo de la Investigación en Salud, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Mexico City 06720, MexicoHospital Juárez de México, Mexico City 07760, MexicoHospital Juárez de México, Mexico City 07760, MexicoHospital Juárez de México, Mexico City 07760, MexicoCentro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria Agricultura Familiar, Km 8.5, Carretera Ojuelos-Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco 47540, MexicoDivisión de Tecnología Ambiental, Universidad Tecnológica de Nezahualcóyotl, Nezahualcóyotl 57000, MexicoFacultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Saltillo 25280, MexicoCentro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, MexicoHospital Juárez de México, Mexico City 07760, MexicoSección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, MexicoSección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, MexicoHospital Juárez de México, Mexico City 07760, MexicoFacultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 54090, MexicoSección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, MexicoSección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, MexicoInstituto de Estudios Ambientales, Universidad de la Sierra Juárez, Ixtlán de Juárez Oaxaca 68725, MexicoInstituto de Estudios Ambientales, Universidad de la Sierra Juárez, Ixtlán de Juárez Oaxaca 68725, MexicoSección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, MexicoHospital Juárez de México, Mexico City 07760, MexicoIn Mexico, hospital wastewater (HWW) is a source of chemical and microbiological contamination, and it is released into the municipal sewage system without prior treatment. This water may contain pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes, which represent a risk to Public Health and the environment. So far, there are no studies that analyse this problem comprehensively, relating bacterial population structures, chemical contaminants, and seasonality. The aim of this work was to seasonally characterise the bacterial communities of HWW, including clinically relevant bacteria and resistance genes in Hospital Juárez de México (HJM), and to evaluate the impact of physicochemical factors on their composition. A one-year observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at five HWW discharge points of HJM. Fourteen physicochemical parameters were determined by using standard methodologies, and statistical differences between discharges and seasons were evaluated. Bacterial communities were analysed by targeted amplicon sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the <i>16S rRNA</i> gene. In addition, the presence of eight antimicrobial resistance genes of local epidemiological importance was assessed. Data were analysed using alpha and beta diversity indices, principal component analysis, and multivariate statistical tests. HWW showed high taxonomic diversity, with Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes standing out. Clinically relevant bacteria were identified in 73.3% of the analyses, with <i>Enterobacter</i> and <i>Escherichia-Shigella</i> predominating. Total and dissolved solids, temperature, nitrate, and pH significantly influenced the bacterial composition of HWW. Seven out of the eight genes evaluated were identified, with <i>bla<sub>KPC</sub></i>, <i>bla<sub>OXA-40</sub></i>, and <i>mcr-1</i> being the most frequent, showing significant seasonal differences. This study underlines the microbiological and chemical complexity of HWW, highlighting the impact of clinically relevant bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes on Public Health. The findings emphasise the need to implement hospital waste management programmes and ideally specific treatment plants to minimise the associated risks and protect the environment and human health.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1316hospital wastewaterbacteriaantimicrobial resistanceV3-V4 hypervariable
spellingShingle Clemente Cruz-Cruz
Javier Gaytán-Cervantes
Carolina González-Torres
Andres Emmanuel Nolasco-Rojas
Miguel Ángel Loyola-Cruz
Laura Delgado-Balbuena
Josué Delgado-Balbuena
Marianela Paredes-Mendoza
María Concepción Tamayo-Ordóñez
Yahaira de Jesús Tamayo-Ordoñez
Emilio Mariano Durán-Manuel
Araceli Rojas-Bernabé
Carlos Alberto Jiménez-Zamarripa
Oscar Sosa-Hernández
Omar Agni García-Hernández
Esther Ocharan-Hernández
Paola Berenice Zárate-Segura
Elizabeth González-Terreros
Daniel Alejandro Ramírez-Villanueva
Claudia Camelia Calzada-Mendoza
Juan Manuel Bello-López
Profiling of Bacterial Communities of Hospital Wastewater Reveals Clinically Relevant Genera and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes
Microorganisms
hospital wastewater
bacteria
antimicrobial resistance
V3-V4 hypervariable
title Profiling of Bacterial Communities of Hospital Wastewater Reveals Clinically Relevant Genera and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes
title_full Profiling of Bacterial Communities of Hospital Wastewater Reveals Clinically Relevant Genera and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes
title_fullStr Profiling of Bacterial Communities of Hospital Wastewater Reveals Clinically Relevant Genera and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes
title_full_unstemmed Profiling of Bacterial Communities of Hospital Wastewater Reveals Clinically Relevant Genera and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes
title_short Profiling of Bacterial Communities of Hospital Wastewater Reveals Clinically Relevant Genera and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes
title_sort profiling of bacterial communities of hospital wastewater reveals clinically relevant genera and antimicrobial resistance genes
topic hospital wastewater
bacteria
antimicrobial resistance
V3-V4 hypervariable
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1316
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