Profiling of bacterial communities of hospital wastewater reveals ESKAPE bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes

The aim of this work was to seasonally characterize the bacterial communities of hospital wastewater (HWW), including ESKAPE bacteria and resistance genes such as metallo-beta-lactamases (blaNDM, blaVIM, and blaIMP), serine beta-lactamases (blaKPC, blaOXA-48, blaOXA-23, and blaOXA-40), and polymyxins resistance (mcr-1) in Hospital Juarez de Mexico (HJM) and to evaluate the impact of physicochemical factors on their composition. This study underlines the microbiological and chemical complexity of HWW, highlighting the impact of ESKAPE bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes on Public Health. The findings emphasise the need to implement hospital waste management programmes and ideally specific treatment plants to minimise the associated risks and protect the environment and human health.