Antibiotics are present extensively in many environmental matrices and considered as contaminants of emerging concern. This has caused increasing concern worldwide, because the presence of antibiotics poses a selective pressure on antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Horizontal gene transfer enhances the spread of ARGs, which in turn facilitates proliferation and spread of drug resistance, an issue that poses serious threat to human and ecological health. Our study indicated that a Magnéli phase Ti4O7 electrode can be used to remove pathogens, antibiotics and ARGs through electrochemical oxidation. The model pathogen, multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhimurium DT104, was completely deactivated within 15 min at the current density of 10 mA cm-2, while over 93% of the model antibiotics, tetracycline, sulfadimethoxine and chloramphenicol, were degraded within 3 h. Especially, the removal of ARGs (i.e., TetG, floR and sul1), class 1 integron gene (intI1) and virulence genes (invA and spvC) reached 99.65 % to 99.94%. The mechanisms for the removal of pathogens, antibiotics and the ARGs were explored.

Removal of multidrug-resistant Salmonella, antibiotics and antibiotics resistance genes in water by electrochemical oxidation

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.