Antimicrobial and Metal Resistance Genes in Bacteria Isolated from Mine Water in Austria
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Microbiomes surrounding mining sites have been found to harbor both antibiotic resistance genes and metal resistance genes. Within the “One Health” framework, which spans human, veterinary and environmental health, it is crucial to determine whether bacteria...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Jakob Prochaska Heinz Reitner Christian Benold Alfred Stadtschnitzer Buyantogtokh Choijilsuren Dmitrij Sofka Friederike Hilbert Cátia Pacífico |
| author_facet | Jakob Prochaska Heinz Reitner Christian Benold Alfred Stadtschnitzer Buyantogtokh Choijilsuren Dmitrij Sofka Friederike Hilbert Cátia Pacífico |
| author_sort | Jakob Prochaska |
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| description | <b>Background/Objectives:</b> Microbiomes surrounding mining sites have been found to harbor both antibiotic resistance genes and metal resistance genes. Within the “One Health” framework, which spans human, veterinary and environmental health, it is crucial to determine whether bacterial metal resistance (MR) genes can independently trigger antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or if they are linked to AMR genes and co-transferred horizontally. <b>Methods and Results</b>: Bacteria were isolated from an active and an inactive mining site in the alpine region of Austria. Most of the isolated bacteria harbored antimicrobial and metal resistance genes (88%). MALDI-TOF and whole genome sequencing (WGS) revealed that species from the <i>Pseudomonadaceae</i> family were the most identified, accounting for 32.5%. All <i>Pseudomonas</i> spp. carried AMR genes from the <i>mex</i> family, which encode multidrug efflux pumps. β-lactamase production encoded by <i>bla</i> genes were detected as the second most common (26%). The same AMR genes have often been detected within a particular bacterial genus. No tetracycline resistance gene has been identified. Among metal resistance genes, <i>rufB</i> (tellurium resistance) was the most prevalent (33%), followed by <i>recGM</i> (selenium resistance, 30%), <i>copA</i> (copper resistance, 26%), and <i>mgtA</i> (magnesium and cobalt resistance, 26%). Notably, the <i>mer</i> gene family (mercury resistance) was found exclusively in isolates from the inactive mining site (<i>n</i> = 6). In addition, genes associated with both antimicrobial and metal resistance, including <i>arsBM</i>, <i>acrD</i>, and the <i>mer</i> operon, were identified in 19 out of the 43 isolates. <b>Conclusions</b>: Bacteria isolated from mine water harbored both MR and AMR genes. Given the exceptional diversity of bacterial species in these settings, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis is the recommended method for accurate species identification. Moreover, the presence of multi-drug transporters and transferable resistance genes against critically important antimicrobials such as fluoroquinolones and colistin identified in these environmental bacteria emphasizes the importance of retrieving environmental data within the “One Health” framework. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a458bc53c09e4e4fba2fa33b24836d33 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj-art-a458bc53c09e4e4fba2fa33b24836d332025-08-20T03:40:43ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822025-03-0114326210.3390/antibiotics14030262Antimicrobial and Metal Resistance Genes in Bacteria Isolated from Mine Water in AustriaJakob Prochaska0Heinz Reitner1Christian Benold2Alfred Stadtschnitzer3Buyantogtokh Choijilsuren4Dmitrij Sofka5Friederike Hilbert6Cátia Pacífico7Centre of Food Science and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Mineral Resources and Geoenergy, Geosphere Austria, 1030 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Geochemistry, Geosphere Austria, 1030 Vienna, AustriaVA Erzberg GmbH, 8790 Eisenerz, AustriaCentre of Food Science and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaCentre of Food Science and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaCentre of Food Science and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaCentre of Food Science and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Microbiomes surrounding mining sites have been found to harbor both antibiotic resistance genes and metal resistance genes. Within the “One Health” framework, which spans human, veterinary and environmental health, it is crucial to determine whether bacterial metal resistance (MR) genes can independently trigger antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or if they are linked to AMR genes and co-transferred horizontally. <b>Methods and Results</b>: Bacteria were isolated from an active and an inactive mining site in the alpine region of Austria. Most of the isolated bacteria harbored antimicrobial and metal resistance genes (88%). MALDI-TOF and whole genome sequencing (WGS) revealed that species from the <i>Pseudomonadaceae</i> family were the most identified, accounting for 32.5%. All <i>Pseudomonas</i> spp. carried AMR genes from the <i>mex</i> family, which encode multidrug efflux pumps. β-lactamase production encoded by <i>bla</i> genes were detected as the second most common (26%). The same AMR genes have often been detected within a particular bacterial genus. No tetracycline resistance gene has been identified. Among metal resistance genes, <i>rufB</i> (tellurium resistance) was the most prevalent (33%), followed by <i>recGM</i> (selenium resistance, 30%), <i>copA</i> (copper resistance, 26%), and <i>mgtA</i> (magnesium and cobalt resistance, 26%). Notably, the <i>mer</i> gene family (mercury resistance) was found exclusively in isolates from the inactive mining site (<i>n</i> = 6). In addition, genes associated with both antimicrobial and metal resistance, including <i>arsBM</i>, <i>acrD</i>, and the <i>mer</i> operon, were identified in 19 out of the 43 isolates. <b>Conclusions</b>: Bacteria isolated from mine water harbored both MR and AMR genes. Given the exceptional diversity of bacterial species in these settings, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis is the recommended method for accurate species identification. Moreover, the presence of multi-drug transporters and transferable resistance genes against critically important antimicrobials such as fluoroquinolones and colistin identified in these environmental bacteria emphasizes the importance of retrieving environmental data within the “One Health” framework.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/3/262metal resistance genesantimicrobial resistanceß-lactamase genesmultidrug efflux pumpsenvironmental bacteriaspecies identification |
| spellingShingle | Jakob Prochaska Heinz Reitner Christian Benold Alfred Stadtschnitzer Buyantogtokh Choijilsuren Dmitrij Sofka Friederike Hilbert Cátia Pacífico Antimicrobial and Metal Resistance Genes in Bacteria Isolated from Mine Water in Austria Antibiotics metal resistance genes antimicrobial resistance ß-lactamase genes multidrug efflux pumps environmental bacteria species identification |
| title | Antimicrobial and Metal Resistance Genes in Bacteria Isolated from Mine Water in Austria |
| title_full | Antimicrobial and Metal Resistance Genes in Bacteria Isolated from Mine Water in Austria |
| title_fullStr | Antimicrobial and Metal Resistance Genes in Bacteria Isolated from Mine Water in Austria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antimicrobial and Metal Resistance Genes in Bacteria Isolated from Mine Water in Austria |
| title_short | Antimicrobial and Metal Resistance Genes in Bacteria Isolated from Mine Water in Austria |
| title_sort | antimicrobial and metal resistance genes in bacteria isolated from mine water in austria |
| topic | metal resistance genes antimicrobial resistance ß-lactamase genes multidrug efflux pumps environmental bacteria species identification |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/3/262 |
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