Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs; the genetic material in bacteria that encode for resistance to antibiotics) have been found in the aquatic environment, raising concerns of an environmental transmission route. Understanding the fate of ARGs in the environment is essential in order to design control measures, predict health risks, inform ARG surveillance activities, and prioritize policy interventions. In an effort to contribute to models predicting the fate of ARGs in the environment and given the importance of sunlight in damaging DNA, we evaluated the sunlight photolysis kinetics of ARB and ARGs under laboratory conditions. In this portion of our research, we focused on the photolysis of E. coli SMS-3-5 and its ARGs tetA and sul2 (which encode for resistance to tetracycline and sulfonamides respectively) in the water environment in the absence of photosensitizers. ARG decay rates were quantified by qPCR and the quantum yield of direct photolysis was calculated for each ARG. Decay rate constants and quantum yields will be presented as foundational work in the construction of models to describe the persistence of ARGs in sunlit, environmental waters.

Sunlight photolysis of antibiotic resistance genes tetA and sul2 in photosensitizer-free water

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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