Host range of antibiotic resistance genes in Croatian wastewater

Influent and effluent from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Croatia were studied to identify bacterial hosts of clinically important beta-lactamase genes (blaTEM, blaVIM, blaOXA-48-like) and observe how their composition changes during the treatment process. EpicPCR was used to identify the hosts of antibiotic resistance genes , and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to study the entire bacterial community. Different wastewater sources contributed to the significant differences in bacterial composition of the wastewater between the two WWTPs studied. The number of hosts carrying investigated antibiotic resistance genes was reduced by wastewater treatment.