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Wastewater treatment plants can be a source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Water discharged into lakes and rivers from municipal wastewater treatment plants may contain significant levels of genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics, according to a new study conducted at the Lake Superior wastewater treatment plant in Duluth, Minnesota, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology AC.
Timothy M. Lapara and colleagues explain that antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a major problem in modern medicine, are found in large numbers in the sewage that feeds municipal wastewater treatment plants.
To determine the role of municipal wastewater treatment plants as sources of antibiotic-resistant genes, scientists studied wastewater discharges containing these genes at the Duluth site.
Although the Duluth facility uses cutting-edge technology to treat wastewater, called tertiary treatment, the study identified it as a significant source of antibiotic resistance genes. Water sampling at 13 locations found three genes: genes that make bacteria resistant to the tetracycline group of antibiotics used to treat acne, sexually transmitted infections, anthrax, and bubonic plague. Timothy M. Lapar's team says their study shows that even the most high-tech wastewater treatment plants can be a significant source of antibiotic resistance genes.