Correlation between Antibiotic Concentrations and Antibiotic Resistance Genes Contamination at Mafisa Wastewater Treatment Plant in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania

Various antibiotics have been used for treating infectious diseases in humans, animals and aquaculture. Also antibiotics have been used as growth promoters in livestock production. After administration part of antibiotics is excreted as original compounds or metabolites through urine and faeces in environment, hence creating selection pressure which can lead to development of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study the correlations of sulfonamides and tetracycline concentrations with their corresponding selected antibiotic resistant genes sul1, sul2 and tetM respectively was investigated at Mafisa wastewater treatment plant in Morogoro municipality. The mean concentrations of tetracycline was 48.761 ± 7.9343,sulfonamides 18.7492 ± 5.4906 and quinolones 27.2753 ± 2.83878 in influents while effluent mean concentrations was 34.8635 ± 5.17469 tetracycline, 3.3136 ± 1.35145 sulfonamides and 24.1841 ± 2.14841. Mafisa wastewater treatment plant was contaminated with corresponding antibiotic resistance genes sul1, sul2 and tetM, but there was no correlations between antibiotic concentrations and corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), suggesting that targeted ARGs are spread in a wide area without connection to the selection pressure.

Author(s): Mohameda HSA*, Uswege M and Robinson HM

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