{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T06:15:53Z","timestamp":1778134553591,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778112000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"\n Introduction<\/jats:title>\n The persistence of antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments poses a public health concern, particularly when drinking water sources act as reservoirs for multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogens. However, the linkage between environmental resistomes and the resistance phenotypes of cultivable bacteria remains under-characterized. This case study investigated this relationship in a karst drinking water source in Guizhou, China.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n Surface water samples from seven sites were analyzed for antibiotic residues using LC-MS\/MS. Metagenomic sequencing was conducted on selected contamination hotspots to characterize microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Cultivable bacteria were isolated, identified via 16S rRNA sequencing, and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. To validate resistance mechanisms, a multidrug-resistant\n Klebsiella pneumoniae<\/jats:italic>\n isolate was analyzed for\n tetA<\/jats:italic>\n expression using RT-qPCR.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Antibiotic residues were detected across all sites, with sulfonamides and tetracyclines being the most prevalent. Consistent with this chemical pressure, metagenomic analysis identified corresponding ARGs, including\n sul1<\/jats:italic>\n and\n tet(Q)<\/jats:italic>\n , which functionally clustered with mobile genetic elements. From the contaminated matrix (sample W2), a multidrug-resistant\n Klebsiella pneumoniae<\/jats:italic>\n strain (B8) was recovered. Mechanistic validation revealed a 2.78-fold upregulation of the\n tetA<\/jats:italic>\n efflux pump gene in this strain.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Discussion<\/jats:title>\n These findings demonstrate a concordance among chemical selection pressures, environmental resistomes, and active resistance phenotypes. The results indicate that drinking water sources can harbor and maintain clinically relevant resistant bacteria, supporting the implementation of integrated surveillance strategies to evaluate biological risks.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1810806","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T05:44:19Z","timestamp":1778132659000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Concordance between environmental resistomes and pathogenic phenotypes: a case study of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a drinking water source in Guizhou, China"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Wanning","family":"Qian","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, School of Public Health, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]},{"name":"Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbiome and Infectious Disease Prevention, Institution of One Health Research, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ao","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, School of Public Health, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]},{"name":"Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbiome and Infectious Disease Prevention, Institution of One Health Research, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abdullah M. S.","family":"Al Hatmi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Natural & Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa","place":["Nizwa, Oman"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yanyan","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbiome and Infectious Disease Prevention, Institution of One Health Research, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Muhammad","family":"Rafiq","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbiome and Infectious Disease Prevention, Institution of One Health Research, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]},{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS)","place":["Quetta, Pakistan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guzhen","family":"Cui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbiome and Infectious Disease Prevention, Institution of One Health Research, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shaoqin","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, School of Public Health, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shijun","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, School of Public Health, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]},{"name":"Guizhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guiyang","place":["Guizhou, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yingqian","family":"Kang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, School of Public Health, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]},{"name":"Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbiome and Infectious Disease Prevention, Institution of One Health Research, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"012004","DOI":"10.1088\/1755-1315\/1219\/1\/012004","article-title":"Presence of antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria isolated from raw cow milk obtained from Bowen University dairy farm","volume":"1219","author":"Abimbola","year":"2023","journal-title":"IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100378","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wroa.2025.100378","article-title":"How does the sewer microbiome impact wastewater surveillance for antibiotic resistance?","volume":"28","author":"Adeoye","year":"2025","journal-title":"Water Res. X"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(15)00473-0","article-title":"Understanding the mechanisms and drivers of antimicrobial resistance","volume":"387","author":"Alison","year":"2016","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"441","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetmic.2014.02.017","article-title":"Functional metagenomic analysis reveals rivers are a reservoir for diverse antibiotic resistance genes","volume":"171","author":"Amos","year":"2014","journal-title":"Vet. Microbiol."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.7589\/2019-04-099","article-title":"Antibiotic resistant bacteria in wildlife: perspectives on trends, acquisition and dissemination, data gaps, and future directions","volume":"56","author":"Andrew","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Wildl. Dis."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1511","DOI":"10.1021\/acsearthspacechem.1c00064","article-title":"Probing the fate of different structures of beta-lactam antibiotics: hydrolysis, mineral capture, and influence of organic matter","volume":"5","author":"Annaleise","year":"2021","journal-title":"ACS Earth Space Chem."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"438","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2019.02.057","article-title":"Antibiotic resistome profile based on metagenomics in raw surface drinking water source and the influence of environmental factor: a case study in Huaihe River Basin, China","volume":"248","author":"Bai","year":"2019","journal-title":"Environ. Pollut."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"150","DOI":"10.1086\/653528","article-title":"Reduced antibiotic pressure for the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: back to the future","volume":"51","author":"Bruno","year":"2010","journal-title":"Clini. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"214","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics11030214","article-title":"The source and distribution of tetracycline antibiotics in China: a review","volume":"11","author":"Chang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Toxics"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"441","DOI":"10.2134\/jeq2015.07.0367","article-title":"Molecular methods for assessment of antibiotic resistance in agricultural ecosystems: prospects and challenges","volume":"45","author":"Elizabeth","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Environ. Qual."},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1016\/j.microc.2017.02.006","article-title":"Ecological effects of antibiotics on natural ecosystems: a review","volume":"136","author":"Grenni","year":"2018","journal-title":"Microchem. J."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7211","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19127211","article-title":"Occurrence, distribution, and risk assessment of antibiotics in the aquatic environment of the karst plateau wetland of Yangtze River Basin, Southwestern China","volume":"19","author":"Guo","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10083","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms150610083","article-title":"A comprehensive insight into tetracycline resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge using next-generation sequencing","volume":"15","author":"Huang","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"975","DOI":"10.1007\/s00248-013-0187-2","article-title":"Marine sediment bacteria harbor antibiotic resistance genes highly similar to those found in human pathogens","volume":"65","author":"Jing","year":"2013","journal-title":"Microb. Ecol."},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"220","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tim.2017.09.005","article-title":"Antibiotic-Resistance Genes in Waste Water","volume":"26","author":"Karkman","year":"2018","journal-title":"Trends Microbiol."},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1809","DOI":"10.1007\/s10529-015-1861-x","article-title":"New dioxygenase from metagenomic library from Brazilian soil: insights into antibiotic resistance and bioremediation","volume":"37","author":"Knupp","year":"2015","journal-title":"Biotechnol. Lett."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"113896","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecolind.2025.113896","article-title":"Global insights into the role of biochar in mitigating antibiotic resistance genes: key properties and research trends","volume":"178","author":"Liu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ecol. Indic."},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"123399","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2020.123399","article-title":"Dynamics of the antibiotic resistome in agricultural soils amended with different sources of animal manures over three consecutive years","volume":"401","author":"Liu","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Hazard. Mater."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115147","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2020.115147","article-title":"Antibiotics in soil and water in China-a systematic review and source analysis","volume":"266","author":"Lyu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Environ. Pollut."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1434","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.05766-11","article-title":"Influence of soil use on prevalence of tetracycline, streptomycin, and erythromycin resistance and associated resistance genes","volume":"56","author":"Magdalena","year":"2012","journal-title":"Antimicrob. Agents Chemother."},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"279","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envint.2017.12.036","article-title":"Functional metagenomics reveals a novel carbapenem-hydrolyzing mobile beta-lactamase from Indian river sediments contaminated with antibiotic production waste","volume":"112","author":"Marathe","year":"2018","journal-title":"Environ. Int."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105458","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envint.2020.105458","article-title":"Variation of antibiotic resistome during commercial livestock manure composting","volume":"136","author":"Min","year":"2020","journal-title":"Environ. Int."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"426","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics13050426","article-title":"Screening for antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria and the presence of heavy metals in the upstream and downstream areas of the Wadi Hanifah valley in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia","volume":"13","author":"Otaibi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Antibiotics"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1080\/03601234.2015.1080481","article-title":"Practical survey on antibiotic-resistant bacterial communities in livestock manure and manure-amended soil","volume":"51","author":"Qingxiang","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Environ. Sci. Health B"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"372","DOI":"10.3923\/pjbs.2017.372.381","article-title":"Dynamic of bacterial diversity in ileum digesta under water supplements of antibiotics and probiotics","volume":"20","author":"Raed","year":"2017","journal-title":"Pak. J. Biol. Sci."},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"525","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.genet.38.072902.091216","article-title":"METAGENOMICS: genomic analysis of microbial communities","volume":"38","author":"Riesenfeld","year":"2004","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Genet."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"427","DOI":"10.1038\/ismej.2015.124","article-title":"Massively parallel sequencing of single cells by epicPCR links functional genes with phylogenetic markers","volume":"10","author":"Sarah","year":"2016","journal-title":"ISME J."},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1109\/ICBBE.2009.5163140","article-title":"\u201cOccurrence and removal of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in a sewage treatment plant in Shanghai, China,\u201d","author":"Shi","year":"2009","journal-title":"2009 3rd International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering, Beijing, China"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"110029","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envres.2020.110029","article-title":"Enrichment of antibiotics in an inland lake water","volume":"190","author":"Si","year":"2020","journal-title":"Environ. Res."},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envint.2013.12.010","article-title":"Functional metagenomic characterization of antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soils from China","volume":"65","author":"Su","year":"2014","journal-title":"Environ. Int."},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"309","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-micro-090816-093420","article-title":"Lessons from the environmental antibiotic resistome","volume":"71","author":"Surette","year":"2017","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Microbiol."},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1100102","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2022.1100102","article-title":"Inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistance genes in wastewater streams: current challenges and future perspectives ","volume":"13","author":"Thabang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Microbiol."},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e76079","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0076079","article-title":"Metagenomic profiling of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in a tannery wastewater treatment plant","volume":"8","author":"Wang","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"135730","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2019.135730","article-title":"Response of microbial communities of karst river water to antibiotics and microbial source tracking for antibiotics","volume":"706","author":"Xiang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6985","DOI":"10.3390\/su15086985","article-title":"Review on biogeochemical characteristics of typical antibiotics in groundwater in China","volume":"15","author":"Xiao","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2012.12.008","article-title":"Antibiotics in the surface water of the Yangtze Estuary: occurrence, distribution and risk assessment","volume":"175","author":"Yan","year":"2013","journal-title":"Environ. Pollut."},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"123390","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jchromb.2022.123390","article-title":"Determination of quinolone antibiotics in environmental water using automatic solid-phase extraction and isotope dilution ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry","volume":"1208","author":"Yingjie","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Chromatogr. B. Analyt. Technol. Biomed. Life Sci."},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"807","DOI":"10.1111\/gwat.12924","article-title":"Comparison of microbiomes and resistomes in two karst groundwater sites in Chongqing, China","volume":"57","author":"Yuan","year":"2019","journal-title":"Ground Water"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Microbiology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1810806\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T05:44:25Z","timestamp":1778132665000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1810806\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]]},"references-count":38,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1810806"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1810806","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-302X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-302X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]]},"article-number":"1810806"}}