| Author: | Li, Xin |
| Title: | Spatiotemporal variation of PM₂.₅-associated bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes between Beijing and Hong Kong |
| Advisors: | Li, X. D. (CEE) Jin, L. (CEE) |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2020 |
| Subject: | Antibiotics -- Environmental aspects Drug resistance in microorganisms Air -- Microbiology Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering |
| Pages: | viii, 61 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The spread of ARGs in various environments has received increasing attention because it poses a severe threat to human health and medical system. In comparison with other environmental components, the atmosphere, especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5), has gained less attention, leading to the study of environmental dissemination of ARGs not forming a closed loop. With the widespread existence of ARGs in the atmosphere being revealed, the understanding that the atmospheric environment may also be a vital reservoir of ARGs has aroused increasing research interest. Since the bacterial community is collectively shaped by a series of external factors and highly dynamic atmosphere further aggravates the complexity of this shaping, it is hard to predict the fate of ARB and ARGs discharged into the atmospheric environment. This study explored the abundance variation of PM2.5-borne bacteria and ARGs in two regions of north and south China across an annual cycle, and further revealed the spatiotemporal characteristics of PM2.5-associated bacteria and ARGs in the atmospheric environment: (1) In areas strongly affected by anthropogenic activities, the annual average concentrations of 16S rRNA and ARGs were comparable; (2) The abundance of airborne bacteria in Beijing showed a distinct seasonality, while the seasonal variation of the abundance of airborne bacteria in Hong Kong was relatively smooth; (3) The community structure of airborne bacteria had obvious regional characteristics, and the similarity of bacterial communities was probably related to the spatial distance; (4) The relative abundance of ARGs was independent of land use types and formed disparities in different regions (cities); (5) The correlation between ARGs and MGEs was observed in all research sites, and this correlation tended to weaken from urban to rural areas. (6) Meteorological conditions and air pollutants play an equally important role in shaping bacterial communities. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5367.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.7 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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