SREL Reprint #2473

Spatial patterns in antibiotic resistance among stream bacteria: effects of industrial pollution

J. Vaun McArthur1 and R. Cary Tuckfield2

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina 29801
2Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, South Carolina 29808

Abstract: The spatial distribution of antibiotic resistance to streptomycin and kanamycin was examined in natural bacterial communities of two streams. The proportion of resistant bacteria was substantially higher (P < 0.05) in the midreaches of an industrially perturbed stream, but no such pattern was apparent in an undisturbed reference stream. The highest relative frequency of resistance was found at the confluence of a tributary draining a nuclear reactor and industrial complex. Antibiotic resistance increased with distance upstream from the confluence and was positively correlated (r2 = 0.54, P = 0.023) with mercury concentrations in the sediments. When the data for two years were compared, this pattern was stable for streptomycin resistance (paired t test, P < 0.05) but not for kanamycin resistance (P > 0.05). Our results imply that heavy metal pollution may contribute to increased antibiotic resistance through indirect selection.

SREL Reprint #2473

McArthur, J. V., and R. C. Tuckfield. 2000. Spatial patterns in antibiotic resistance among stream bacteria: effects of industrial pollution. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 66:3722-3726.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).