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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
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Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Published on: March 3, 2023
Increased temperature selects for antibiotic resistance genes in a model aquatic ecosystem
Emma Bousquet1, Sabine Favre-Bonté1, Thibault Meyer1
1Université Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, LEM, UMR 5557, UMR 1418, Villeurbanne, France.
Npj Antimicrobials and Resistance
|June 12, 2026
Summary
Climate change-induced temperature increases, including heatwaves, can promote antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments. This study shows elevated temperatures select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes, impacting microbial communities.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Climate change impacts
- Antimicrobial resistance
Background:
- Rising global temperatures due to climate change raise concerns about selecting for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic ecosystems.
- The specific impact of temperature fluctuations, including heatwaves, on ARG selection and bacterial transcriptional responses remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether increased temperatures induce ARG selection in a model aquatic ecosystem.
- To analyze the transcriptional response of bacterial communities to different temperature regimes using an omics approach.
Main Methods:
- River water microcosms were incubated under three temperature conditions: constant 20°C (control), constant 28°C, and oscillating temperatures (3 days at 20°C, 4 days at 28°C) for 28 days.
- Bacterial community composition was analyzed, and metatranscriptomic sequencing was performed to assess gene expression.
- Specific ARGs, such as pmrE and sul2, and associated bacterial taxa were identified.
Main Results:
- Both constant and oscillating higher temperatures altered bacterial community composition.
- Specific ARGs (pmrE, sul2) were selected for in bacteria, including Limnohabitans and Alphaproteobacteria, under elevated temperatures.
- Oscillating temperatures led to a lower abundance of transcripts related to cell division, metabolism, antibiotic efflux, and stress responses compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Climate change-driven temperature increases, both sustained and intermittent (heatwaves), can promote the selection and proliferation of ARB and ARGs in aquatic environments.
- Altered temperature regimes significantly impact bacterial community structure and function, potentially influencing the dynamics of antibiotic resistance.
- This research underscores the environmental risk of increasing antibiotic resistance due to climate change.
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