O uso de antimicrobianos de forma terapêutica, preventiva e promotora de crescimento trouxe inúmeras vantagens para a avicultura mundial, entretanto a utilização excessiva dos antimicrobianos e de maneira indevida tem estimulado um aumento no número de micro-organismos resistentes. Entre eles, destaca-se o Campylobacter jejuni, bactéria frequentemente associada a enterites em humanos, sendo o frango a principal reservatório e fonte de transmissão deste patógeno para o homem. A transmissão de bactérias resistentes entre animais e seres humanos pode resultar em infecções multirresistentes e insucesso no tratamento terapêutico, sendo a exposição continua destes micro-organismos a esses medicamentos o fator mais importante na origem da resistência. Diante desse cenário, objetivou-se nesse trabalho investigar e caracterizar, através de métodos fenotípico e genotípico, a susceptibilidade antimicrobiana de 54 isolados de C. jejuni coletados em diferentes etapas do processamento da carne de frango de matadouro-frigoríficos da região do Rio Grande do Sul. Para a determinação do MIC, os isolados foram testados frente aos seguintes antimicrobianos: ácido nalidíxico, ciprofloxacina, cloranfenicol, eritromicina, gentamicina e tetraciclina. Dos 54 isolados de C. jejuni, 94,4% foram resistentes a ciprofloxacina, 83,3% ao ácido nalidíxico, 51,8% a tetraciclina e 48% a eritromicina. Todos os isolados foram sensíveis a gentamicina e ao cloranfenicol. Doze isolados foram resistentes a três classes diferentes de antibióticos, sendo assim considerados multi-resistentes. Para verificar a presença da mutação gênica da Região Determinante de Resistência à Quinolona (RDRQ) no gene gyrA, foi realizado sequenciamento gênico de 31 isolados considerados resistentes por métodos fenotípicos. Todos os isolados possuíam a mutação Tre-86-Ile na RDRQ do gene gyrA, que confere resistência às fluoroquinolonas, confirmando a predominância dessa mutação em Campylobacter spp. resistentes a esses antimicrobianos. A ocorrência do gene de resistência à tetraciclina foi verificada por PCR. Dos 28 isolados considerados resistentes por métodos fenotípicos, 42,8% possuíam o gene tet(O), que confere resistência as tetraciclinas. Os resultados mostram um alto nível de resistência antimicrobiana em C. jejuni evidenciando a necessidade da implementação de políticas de uso prudente de antimicrobianos na medicina veterinária. / The use of antimicrobials in a therapeutic, preventive and growth promoting way has brought numerous advantages to the world poultry industry; however, the excessive and undue use of antimicrobials has stimulated an increase in the number of resistant microorganisms. Among them, we highlight Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium frequently associated with enteritis in humans, with chicken being the main reservoir and source of transmission of this pathogen to man. The transmission of resistant bacteria between animals and humans can result in multi resistant infections and failure in therapeutic treatment, and the continued exposure of these microorganisms to these drugs is the most important factor in the source of resistance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate and characterize, through phenotypic and genotypic methods, the antimicrobial susceptibility of 54 C. jejuni isolates collected at different stages of the processing of chicken meat from slaughterhouse in Rio Grande do Sul. For MIC determination, strains were tested against the following antimicrobials: nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin and tetracycline. Of the 54 isolates of C. jejuni, 94.4% were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 83.3% to nalidixic acid, 51.8% to tetracycline and 48% to erythromycin. All isolates were sensitive to gentamicin and chloramphenicol. Twelve strains were resistant to three different classes of antibiotics, thus being considered multi resistant. To verify the presence of the gene mutation of the Quinolone Resistance Determinant Region (QRDR) in the gene gyrA, gene sequencing of 31 strains considered resistant by phenotypic methods was performed. All strains had the Tre-86-Ile mutation in the QRDR of the gyrA gene, which confers resistance to fluoroquinolones, confirming the predominance of this mutation in Campylobacter spp. resistant to these antimicrobials. The occurrence of tetracycline resistance gene was verified by PCR. Of the 28 strains considered resistant by phenotypic methods, 42.8% had the tet(O) gene. The results show a high level of antimicrobial resistance in C. jejuni that evidences the need for implementation of policies in the prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine.

Les variétés modernes de canne à sucre sont d'origine bispécifique et possèdent une structure génétique complexe, aneuploïde et hautement polyploïde rendant difficile les études de résistance génétique. La feuille jaune de la canne a sucre est une maladie dont l'agent causal est le sugarcane yellow leaf virus (scylv). Ce virus a une large diversité. Seuls trois génotypes viraux, différenciables par rtpcr, ont été trouves en Guadeloupe. Les objectifs de l'étude sont d'évaluer: l/la possibilité de marquer la résistance de la plante au scylv grâce a une étude d'association pan-génomique 2/l'impact de la diversité de l'agent pathogène sur la résistance de la canne a sucre au scylv. Les études d'association ont été menées avec plus de 4000 marqueurs aflp et d'art sur quatre types de données phénotypiques (intensité et densité virale dans les feuilles et les tiges). Les phénotypes ont été mesures sur 189 variétés de cannes à sucre dans deux essais successifs dans un dispositif en trois blocs randomises. De ces variétés, 40 ont été sélectionnées et ont permis d'obtenir 10 croisements biparentaux. Les descendances obtenues ont été suivies sur deux essais. L'incidence et la diversité du scylv ont été évaluées pour les 40 variétés et les descendances. L'héritabilité au sens strict de la résistance aux scylv a été déterminée. Six marqueurs de résistance au scylv ont été identifies ainsi que deux gènes ayant potentiellement un rôle dans la résistance au virus. L'étude montre également que la résistance de la plante est variable en fonction du génotype du scylv et que cette résistance est en partie transmise aux descendances. Créer des variétés résistantes au scylv est donc possible. / Modern varieties of sugarcane have a bispecific origin and a complex genetic structure, aneuploid and highly polyploid, maklng genetic resistance study uneasy to perform. Yellow leaf of sugarcane is a viral disease whose causal agent is the sugarcane yellow leaf virus (scylv). This virus has a wide range of diversity. Only three viral genotypes, distinguishable by rt-pcr, were found in guadeloupe. The objectives of this srudy are to assess: l/the possibility to find markers associated with plant resistance to scylv through a genome wide association study 2 1 the impact of the pathogen diversity on the resistance of sugarcane to scylv. Association studies have been conducted with more than 4000 aflp and dart markers on four types of phenotypic data (virus intensity and density in leaves and canes). Phenotypes were measured on 189 varieties of sugarcane in two successive trials in a three randomized complete block design. From these varieties, 40 were selected and allowed to obtain 10 biparental crosses. The offspring were followed during two trials. The incidence and the diversity of scylv were evaluated in the 40 varieties and the offspring. The narrow sense heritability of the resistance to the scylvs was determined. Six markers of the resistance to the scylv and two genes, with potential contribution in virus resistance, have been identified. The study also shows that the resistance of the plant is variable depending on the scylv genotype and that this resistance is partly transmitted to the offspring. Breeding for scylv resistance is practicable.

<div>Antibiotics have been widely used to treat bacterial diseases since the 1940s. However, the benefits offered by antibiotics have gradually faded due to the increased occurrence and frequency of antibiotic resistance. The widespread use of antibiotics has driven selection for resistance in bacteria and is becoming a global problem for human health and the environment. Antibiotic resistance is exacerbated by the ability of bacteria to share their antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) with other bacteria via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Many existing studies on HGT of ARGs focused on antibiotic concentrations at or above the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), which is the lowest concentration of an antibiotic that prevents visible growth of a bacteria culture. However, knowledge on the development of antibiotic resistance under different stressors at sub-MIC levels is still limited. In addition, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely studied in environmental, agricultural and biomedical areas due to their unique physical and chemical characteristics, but limited studies have been done to evaluate the effects of CNTs on the spread of ARGs. Electrochemical filtration has been shown to be a cost-effective technique to remove recalcitrant compounds and reduce antibiotic resistance, but limited studies have been done to evaluate the effectiveness of removal of ARGs with electrochemical filtration. Therefore, there is a critical need to evaluate the effects of trace levels of antibiotics and CNTs on the development of antibiotic resistance and electrochemical removal of ARGs. </div><div><br></div><div>The specific research objectives of this study were to evaluate: (1) selective pressure of sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics on the development of antibiotic resistance and HGT, (2) development of antibiotic resistance and HGT under exposure to CNTs and antibiotics, and (3) effectiveness of using an electrochemical MWCNT filter to remove ARGs. </div><div><br></div><div>To evaluate the development of antibiotic resistance exposed to sub-MIC of erythromycin, HGT between environmental donor (<i>E. coli)</i> and pathogenic bacterial recipient (<i>B. cereus</i>) was quantified. The results indicated that extremely low concentration (0.4 ng/L to 4 µg/L) of erythromycin promoted HGT of <i>erm</i>80 gene, which is an erythromycin resistance gene. In addition to traditional culture-based method and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), a fluorescence <i>in situ</i> hybridization (FISH) approach was used to detect the occurrence and development of ARGs even the bacteria were in the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state after treatment of sub-lethal level of erythromycin. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) was selected as a representative stressor to evaluate the effects on HGT. The results showed that MWCNT enhanced HGT above 1 × MIC, which is the lethal level of erythromycin to recipients, and transfer frequencies of erm80 genes increased up to 101-fold under exposure to 1 × MIC erythromycin and MWCNT as compared to no MWCNT control. However, transfer efficiency of <i>erm</i>80 gene under exposure to sub-MIC of erythromycin was inhibited by MWCNTs. Moreover, transfer of antibiotic resistance plasmids was affected by antibiotics and MWCNTs. Although the concentration of individual stressor was not enough to confer antibiotic selection, effects of both antibiotics above 1 × MIC and MWCNTs could add up and select for antibiotic resistance. The results suggested that CNTs might create additional selective pressure for the spread of ARGs and their effects on HGT should be further investigated. Finally, an electrochemical MWCNT filtration was evaluated to remove genomic DNA and ARGs under the effects of operating conditions, such as pH, phosphate, and NOM. The results showed that the electrochemical MWCNT filtration reactor achieved 79% removal efficiency for genomic DNA and 91% removal efficiency for <i>erm</i>80 genes. The study suggested that electrochemical MWCNT filtration could be a promising technology for the removal of DNA and ARGs.</div><div><br></div><div>Overall, the results improved our understanding of the development of antibiotic resistance and ARGs under various selective pressures. Trace levels of antibiotics promoted the development and spread of ARGs. Conjugative transfer of resistance genes exposed to sub-MIC levels of erythromycin and MWCNTs also contributed to the spread and propagation of ARGs. As antibiotic concentrations detected in natural environment are often in trace levels, the results of this study may improve the understanding of health risks of trace levels of antibiotics and help develop effective mitigation strategies to control the spread of antibiotic resistance. Effective removal of ARGs with electrochemical MWCNT filtration may help the development of cost-effective treatment systems to remove ARGs to protect human health and the environment.</div><div><br></div>

No description available.

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections, the release of unmetabolized residuals into the sewer system, and the incomplete removal antibiotic residues by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) pose a severe threat to human health. The accumulation of antibiotic residue induces selective pressure on the bacterial population, resulting in the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in water. This study investigated the degradation of different types of ARGs in water matrices using a wide variety of treatment technologies. Real wastewater samples were collected from a WWTP in urban Philadelphia and the presence of single and multidrug-resistant bacteria and resistance genes were investigated using molecular-based techniques. Subsequently, an analytical method was developed and validated for the detection and quantification of the ARGs against a range of antibiotics, such as tetracycline (TCN), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and levofloxacin (LVX). Finally, to remove the ARGs from water matrices, different conventional and advanced oxidation processes were applied. At the very onset, conventional treatment processes such as chlorine treatment was used to inactivate the E.coli resistant strains. It was observed that chlorination can potentially deactivate the ARBs by applying a lower dose and contact time. However, the effectiveness of chlorine treatment in removing all types of ARGs from water matrices was limited. For instance, no significant degradation of extracellular ARGs (e-ARGs) was observed in DI water during chlorine treatment. Subsequently, a peracetic acid (PAA) based treatment process was used to degrade the genomic and plasmid-encoded ARGs from the water matrices. Similar to chlorine treatment, no significant changes were observed in the degradation of extracellular ARGs (e-ARGs) in DI and WW. Then, the degradation kinetics of ARGs across different types (gyrAR, tetAR, qnrSR) and forms (chromosomal, plasmids) were evaluated using the Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection process. Compared to chlorination and PAA, UV treatment showed better removal efficiencies for the degradation of different types of e-ARGs in DI water. The degradation profile of e-ARGs showed 1-4 log reductions at a UV fluence of 900 mj/cm2. The i-ARGs showed similar degradation rates as compared to e-ARGs in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) at the same UV dosage. On the other hand, the regrowth potential of ARBs at low UV dosage (60–180 mJ/cm2) showed the evidence of damage repairment after several hours of exposure to light (photoreactivation) and dark conditions, making it susceptible again to the resistance spread. To resolve this issue, process parameters were optimized, and no regrowth of the ARBs were found from the higher fluence from 300 to 600 mJ/ cm2. Later, UV/ H2O2 based AOP was applied to evaluate the degradation and deactivation of the same resistant genes. The addition of H2O2 during the UV treatment produces strongly reactive •OH radicals during the treatment and showed considerable improvements in e-ARGs degradation (1.2-5 logs) compared to UV treatment alone. However, this AOP showed minimal contribution to i-ARG degradation (1-2.4 logs), possibly due to the scavenging of •OH radicals by the cellular components in PBS. In contrast to PBS, the wastewater matrix moderately enhanced the gene degradation during the treatment. In terms of plasmid degradation, the conformational differences of the supercoiled structures showed 1.2-2.8 times slower degradation rates than chromosomal ARGs. In addition, the degradation kinetics of the free residual ARGs (f-ARGs) were assessed during the treatment to reduce the AMR dissemination risk from the treated sample. This study also examined the potential of ozone (O3) based oxidation process to degrade and deactivate the extracellular and intracellular ARGs, and MGE (plasmid, intl-1) from E.coli ARBs. The degradation kinetics of the ARGs across different sizes (118-454 bps) and types were evaluated in different water matrices (DI water, PBS, and WW), and showed a significantly higher removal for chromosomal, and plasmid encoded ARGs than other treatment technologies. For the e-ARGs in DI water, 3.8-5.2 logs removal was observed at ozone dosage of 2.0 × 10-2 M.s. i-ARGs in PBS and wastewater showed nearly similar degradation (3.8-5 logs) during O3, indicating the elimination of i-ARGs was not dependent on the cellular components and effluent organic matter. Moreover, an analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) from wastewater was conducted to examine the degradation of DNA and ARGs for different storage periods and temperatures (-20°C, 0°C, 4°C, 22±0.87°C). Result indicated that water samples kept at -20°C and 0°C showed the best performance in preventing the DNA concentration and gene degradation over time. Additionally, the effectiveness of different preservatives (Longmire buffers: LB1 and LB2, benzalkonium chloride at 0.1%, 0.01%) were investigated in preserving the DNA integrity and the gene degradation at an ambient temperature. It was found that the Longmire buffer (LB1) exhibited lowest gene degradation during the three-week storage period. In summary, this research provided a comprehensive assessment on the degradation of e-ARGs, i-ARGs, and free ARGs from water using different treatment technologies (i.e., UV, UV/H2O2, O3, PAA, chlorine). Additionally, this study suggested valuable information on optimizing the process parameters of the selected methods and developed a comparative assessment of removing the ARGs from the water matrix (DI/PBS, WW). The estimation of Electrical Energy per Order (EEO, kWh/m3) during UV and ozone treatments provided a comparison of the energy consumption for ARGs degradation in the water. Overall, the findings of this study can be useful for evaluating different types and forms (chromosomal, plasmid) of ARG degradation from water matrices and can help to reduce the risk of AMR dissemination in the environment. / Civil Engineering

No description available.

Anthropogenically generated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are considered emerging contaminants, as they are associated with a critical human health challenge, are persist independent of a bacterial host, are subject to transfer between bacteria, and are present at amplified levels in human-impacted environments. Given the gravity of the problem, there is growing interest in advancing water treatment processes capable of limiting ARG dissemination. This study examined the potential for membrane treatment of microconstituent ARGs, and the effect of wastewater colloids on their removal. Native and spiked extracellular vanA (vancomycin resistance) and blaTEM (β-lactam resistance) ARGs were tracked by quantitative polymerase chain reaction through a cascade of membrane filtration steps. To gain insight into potential associations occurring between ARGs and colloidal material, the wastewater colloids were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, as well as in their protein, polysaccharide, and total organic carbon content. The results suggest that extracellular DNA (eDNA) containing ARGs interacts with wastewater colloids, and can both be protected against degradation and be removed more efficiently in the presence of wastewater colloidal material. Thus, ARG removal may be achievable in sustainable water reuse scenarios using lower cost membranes than would have been selected based on molecular size alone. As membranes are likely to play a vital role in water sustainability, the results of this study enable consideration of ARG removal as part of a comprehensive strategy to manage emerging contaminants and to minimize overall public health risks. / Master of Science

The purpose of this dissertation was to broadly investigate the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) as representative contaminants of emerging concern in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). WWTPs may have their performance impacted by ENMs and may also serve as a reservoir and point of release for both ENMs and ARGs into the environment. Of interest were potential adverse effects of ENMs, such as stimulation of antibiotic resistance in the WWTP, toxicity to microbial communities critical for WWTP performance, and toxicity to humans who may be exposed to effluents or aerosols containing ENMs and their transformation products. Response of nine representative ARGs encoding resistance to sulfonamide, erythromycin and tetracycline to various lab-scale sludge digestion processes were examined, and factors that drove the response of ARGs were discussed. Mesophilic anaerobic digestion significantly reduced sulI, sulII, tet(C), tet(G), and tet(X) with longer solids retention time (SRT) exhibiting a greater extent of removal. Thermophilic anaerobic digesters performed similarly to each other and provided more effective reduction of erm(B), erm(F), tet(O), and tet(W) compared to mesophilic digestion. Thermal hydrolysis pretreatment drastically reduced all ARGs, but they generally rebounded during subsequent anaerobic and aerobic digestion treatments. Bacterial community composition of the sludge digestion process, as controlled by the physical operating characteristics, was indicated to drive the distribution of ARGs present in the produced biosolids, more so than the influent ARG composition. Effects of silver (nanoAg), zero-valent iron (NZVI), titanium dioxide (nanoTiO2) and cerium dioxide (nanoCeO2) nanomaterials on nitrification function and microbial communities were examined in duplicate lab-scale nitrifying sequencing batch reactors (SBRs), relative to control SBRs received no materials or ionic/bulk analogs. Nitrification function was only inhibited by high load of 20 mg/L Ag+, but not by other nanomaterials or analogs. However, decrease of nitrifier gene abundances and distinct microbial communities were observed in SBRs receiving nanoAg, Ag+, nanoCeO2, and bulkCeO2. There was no apparent effect of nanoTiO2 or NZVI on nitrification, nitrifier gene abundances, or microbial community structure. A large portion of nanoAg remained dispersed in activated sludge and formed Ag-S complexes, while NZVI, nanoTiO2 and nanoCeO2 were mostly aggregated and chemically unmodified. Thus, the nanomaterials appeared to be generally stable in the activated sludge, which may limit their effect on nitrification function or microbial community structure. Considering an aerosol exposure scenario, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of aqueous effluent and biosolids from SBRs dosed with nanoAg, NZVI, nanoTiO2 and nanoCeO2 to A549 human lung epithelial cells were examined, and the effects were compared relative to outputs from SBRs dosed with ionic/bulk analogs and undosed SBRs, as well as pristine ENMs. Although the pristine nanomaterials showed varying extents of cytotoxicity to A549 cells, and gentoxicity was observed for nanoAg, no significant cytotoxic or genotoxic effects of the SBR effluents or biosolids containing nanomaterials were observed. Studies presented in this dissertation provided new insights in the fate of ARGs in various sludge digestion processes and ENMs in nitrifying activated sludge system in lab-scale reactors. The study also yielded toxicity data of ENMs to biological wastewater treatment microbial communities and human lung cells indicated by a variety of toxicity markers. The results will aid in identifying appropriate management technologies for sludge containing ARGs and will inform microbial and human toxicity assessments of ENMs entering WWTPs. / Ph. D.

The treatment of water and wastewater is energy intensive, and there is an urgent need to develop new approaches to address the water-energy challenges. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are energy-efficient technologies that can treat wastewater and simultaneously achieve multiple functions such as energy generation, hydrogen production and/or desalination. The objectives of this dissertation are to understand the fundamental microbiology of BES, develop cost-effective cathode catalysts, optimize the process engineering and identify the application niches. It has been shown in Chapter 2 that electrochemically active bacteria can take advantage of shuttle-mediated EET and create optimal anode salinities for their dominance. A novel statistical model has been developed based on the taxonomic data to understand and predict functional dynamics and current production. In Chapter 3, 4 and 5, three cathode catalyst (i.e., N- and S- co-doped porous carbon nanosheets, N-doped bamboo-like CNTs and MoS2 coated on CNTs) have been synthesized and showed effective catalysis of oxygen reduction reaction or hydrogen evolution reaction in BES. Chapter 6, 7 and 8 have demonstrated how BES can be combined with forward osmosis to enhance desalination or achieve self-powered hydrogen production. Mathematical models have been developed to predict the performance of the integrated systems. In Chapter 9, BES have been used as a research platform to understand the fate and removal of antibiotic resistant genes under anaerobic conditions. The studies in this dissertation have collectively demonstrated that BES may hold great promise for energy-efficient water and wastewater treatment. / Ph. D. / Water and energy are prerequisites to life. Every day, a lot of energy and money are spent on treating wastewater and producing fresh water. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are new technologies that can treat water and wastewater with low energy consumption. BES typically consist of an anode (where microorganisms break down organic matter) and a cathode, and work like a battery. Currently, BES are only studied in laboratories and not applied in real-world situations, because the performance needs to be improved and fundamentals remain to be better understood. The studies in this dissertation aim to address these problems and make BES toward practice. It has been shown in Chapter 2 that, under high salinity, some bacteria grow faster in the anode and the BES can produce higher electricity. It is difficult to understand the roles of every bacterium with current molecular techniques, and thus statistical methods are applied to estimate their possible functions. In Chapter 3, 4 and 5, three materials have been fabricated and functioned as the catalysts for electricity generation. Chapter 6, 7 and 8 have demonstrated how BES can be combined with forward osmosis, a spontaneous water diffusion process, to enhance desalination or achieve self-powered hydrogen production. Mathematical equations have been combined to simulate the process of biological metabolisms, water diffusion and ion migration. In Chapter 9, BES have been shown to remove antibiotic resistant gene, an emerging contaminant caused by the excessive use of antibiotics. The studies in this dissertation have collectively demonstrated that BES may be the answer to future water and wastewater treatment.

Many antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) conferring resistance to a broad range of antibiotics have often been detected in aquatic environments such as untreated and treated wastewater, river and surface water. ARG proliferation in the aquatic environment could depend upon various factors such as geospatial variations, the type of aquatic body, and the type of wastewater (untreated or treated) discharged into these aquatic environments. Likewise, the strong interconnectivity of aquatic systems may accelerate the spread of ARGs through them. Hence a comparative and a holistic study of different aquatic environments is required to appropriately comprehend the problem of antibiotic resistance. Many studies approach this issue using molecular techniques such as metagenomic sequencing and metagenomic data analysis. Such analyses compare the broad spectrum of ARGs in water and wastewater samples, but these studies use comparisons which are limited to similarity/dissimilarity analyses. However, in such analyses, the discriminatory ARGs (associated ARGs driving such similarity/ dissimilarity measures) may not be identified. Consequentially, the reason which drives the dissimilarities among the samples would not be identified and the reason for antibiotic resistance proliferation may not be clearly understood. In this study, an effective methodology, using Extremely Randomized Trees (ET) Algorithm, was formulated and demonstrated to capture such ARG variations and identify discriminatory ARGs among environmentally derived metagenomes. In this study, data were grouped by: geographic location (to understand the spread of ARGs globally), untreated vs. treated wastewater (to see the effectiveness of WWTPs in removing ARGs), and different aquatic habitats (to understand the impact and spread within aquatic habitats). It was observed that there were certain ARGs which were specific to wastewater samples from certain locations suggesting that site-specific factors can have a certain effect in shaping ARG profiles. Comparing untreated and treated wastewater samples from different WWTPs revealed that biological treatments have a definite impact on shaping the ARG profile. While there were several ARGs which got removed after the treatment, there were some ARGs which showed an increase in relative abundance irrespective of location and treatment plant specific variables. On comparing different aquatic environments, the algorithm identified ARGs which were specific to certain environments. The algorithm captured certain ARGs which were specific to hospital discharges when compared with other aquatic environments. It was determined that the proposed method was efficient in identifying the discriminatory ARGs which could classify the samples according to their groups. Further, it was also effective in capturing low-level variations which generally get over-shadowed in the analysis due to highly abundant genes. The results of this study suggest that the proposed method is an effective method for comprehensive analyses and can provide valuable information to better understand antibiotic resistance. / MS / Antibiotic resistance is a natural and primordial process that predates the use of antibiotics in humans for disease treatment and occurs when a bacterium evolves to render the drugs, chemicals, or other agents meant to cure or prevent infections ineffective. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) conferring resistance to a wide range of antibiotics have been widely found in rivers, surface waters, and hospital and farm wastewater discharges. Even treated wastewater from treatment plants is a concern as ARGs have frequently been detected in effluent discharges which poses questions on the effectiveness of treatment plants in removing ARGs. Since, these systems are interconnected there’s a possibility of dissemination and proliferation of ARGs which may pose serious threat to human health. Hence, it is desirable to perform comparative studies among these aquatic habitats. In previous studies, researchers compared different habitats which tells how similar and dissimilar the environments are in terms of ARGs present in these samples. While these analyses are important, it doesn’t tell which ARGs are unique or which ARGs are responsible to create those similarities or dissimilarities. This information is crucial in order to understand the water environments in terms of occurrence and presence of ARGs, the risk posed by them, and in identifying factors responsible for resistance gene proliferation. In this research, a methodology was developed which could capture such ARG variations in the environmental samples, using data analysis algorithms. Further the developed methodology was demonstrated using environmental samples such as wastewater samples from different geographical locations (to understand the spread of ARGs globally), untreated vs treated wastewater (to understand the effectiveness of treatment plants in removing ARGs), and different aquatic habitats (to understand the impact and spread of ARGs within these habitats). It was determined that the proposed method was efficient in differentiating samples and identifying discriminatory ARGs. The comparison between environmental samples showed that the samples from different locations have specific ARGs which were unique to wastewater samples from certain locations suggesting that site-specific factors can have certain effect in shaping the ARG profiles. Comparing untreated and treated samples revealed that treatment plants were able to remove certain ARGs but it was also observed v that some ARGs proliferated after the treatment irrespective of location and treatment plant specific variables. Analyzing different environments, the approach was able to identify certain ARGs which were specific to certain environments. The results of this study suggest that the proposed method is an effective method for comprehensive analyses and can provide valuable information to better understand antibiotic resistance. In essence, it is a valuable addition for improved surveillance of antibiotic resistance pollution and for the framing of best management practices.