Antibiotic Resistance and Genetic Variability of Acinetobacter spp. from Wastewater Treatment Plant in Kokšov-Bakša (Košice, Slovakia)

Abstract

This study investigated the genetic variability and antibiotic resistance of <i>Acinetobacter</i> community depending on the stage of wastewater treatment in Kokšov-Bakša for the city of Košice (Slovakia). After cultivation, bacterial isolates were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and their sensitivity to ampicillin, kanamycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin was examined. <i>Acinetobacter</i> spp. and <i>Aeromonas</i> spp. dominated bacterial populations in all wastewater samples. We identified 12 different groups based on protein profiling, 14 genotypes by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and 11 <i>Acinetobacter</i> species using 16S rDNA sequence analysis within <i>Acinetobacter</i> community, which showed significant variability in their spatial distribution. While <i>Acinetobacter</i> population structure changed during the wastewater treatment, the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant strains did not significantly vary depending on the stage of wastewater treatment. The study highlights the role of a highly genetically diverse <i>Acinetobacter</i> community surviving in wastewater treatment plants as an important environmental reservoir assisting in the further dissemination of antibiotic resistance in aquatic systems.