Occurrence and Health Risk Assessment of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Drinking Water Systems

Abstract:

Antibiotic resistance genes（ARGs） are widely distributed in water and soil as a new type of pollutants. Microorganisms which pose a potential threat to human health obtain antibiotic resistance through the proliferation of ARGs. In order to study the possible health risks of a large number of ARGs in urban drinking water systems at this stage， this paper first combines the data reported in the domestic and international literature， introduces the current situation of ARGs contamination in urban drinking water systems， describes their storage characteristics， and finds that the number of ARGs in urban drinking water systems at home and abroad is not to be underestimated， and the number of the highest number of ARGs can be up to 1.38×10⁵ copies·ml^-1. Then， it summarizes the influences of commonly used processes in urban drinking water systems on ARGs accumulation and propagation. It is found that commonly used water treatment processes in urban areas have poor inactivation effects on ARGs， and even tend to promote their enrichment and propagation. Among different environmental factors， microbial community structure is the main driving force influencing ARGs， followed by heavy metals. Finally， it proposes the possible health risks of ARGs to human beings and the limitations of the existing health risk assessment methods， and prospects the future research on ARGs.