Tetracycline-Resistant Bacteria Selected from Water and Zebrafish after Antibiotic Exposure

Almeida, Ana Rita; Tacão, Marta; Soares, Joana; Domingues, Inês; Henriques, Isabel

doi:10.3390/ijerph18063218

Open AccessArticle

Tetracycline-Resistant Bacteria Selected from Water and Zebrafish after Antibiotic Exposure

by

Ana Rita Almeida

^1,*,

Marta Tacão

¹

,

Joana Soares

¹,

Inês Domingues

¹

and

Isabel Henriques

²

¹

CESAM & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

²

University of Coimbra, CESAM & Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Calçada Martins de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(6), 3218; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063218

Submission received: 1 February 2021 / Revised: 14 March 2021 / Accepted: 17 March 2021 / Published: 20 March 2021

(This article belongs to the Section Environmental Health)

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Abstract

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens due to worldwide antibiotic use is raising concern in several settings, including aquaculture. In this work, the selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was evaluated after exposure of zebrafish to oxytetracycline (OTC) for two months, followed by a recovery period. The selection of ARB in water and fish was determined using selective media. The abundance of tetA genes was estimated through qPCR. Higher prevalence of ARB was measured in all samples exposed to the antibiotic when compared to control samples, although statistical significance was only achieved five days after exposure. Isolates recovered from samples exposed to the antibiotic were affiliated with Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas. Various antibiotic susceptibility profiles were detected and 37% of the isolates displayed multidrug resistance (MDR). The selection of the tetA gene was confirmed by qPCR at the highest OTC concentration tested. Two MDR isolates, tested using zebrafish embryos, caused significant mortality, indicating a potential impact on fish health and survival. Overall, our work highlights the potential impact of antibiotic contamination in the selection of potential pathogenic ARB and ARGS.

Keywords: Danio rerio; pathogenicity test; multidrug resistance; qPCR; microcosm

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MDPI and ACS Style

Almeida, A.R.; Tacão, M.; Soares, J.; Domingues, I.; Henriques, I. Tetracycline-Resistant Bacteria Selected from Water and Zebrafish after Antibiotic Exposure. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 3218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063218

AMA Style

Almeida AR, Tacão M, Soares J, Domingues I, Henriques I. Tetracycline-Resistant Bacteria Selected from Water and Zebrafish after Antibiotic Exposure. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(6):3218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063218

Chicago/Turabian Style

Almeida, Ana Rita, Marta Tacão, Joana Soares, Inês Domingues, and Isabel Henriques. 2021. "Tetracycline-Resistant Bacteria Selected from Water and Zebrafish after Antibiotic Exposure" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 6: 3218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063218

APA Style

Almeida, A. R., Tacão, M., Soares, J., Domingues, I., & Henriques, I. (2021). Tetracycline-Resistant Bacteria Selected from Water and Zebrafish after Antibiotic Exposure. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 3218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063218

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Tetracycline-Resistant Bacteria Selected from Water and Zebrafish after Antibiotic Exposure

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