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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2000, p. 3722-3726, Vol. 66, No. 9
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0

Spatial Patterns in Antibiotic Resistance among Stream Bacteria: Effects of Industrial Pollution

J Vaun McArthur^1,* and R. Cary Tuckfield²

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina 29801,¹ and Savannah River Technology Center, Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, South Carolina 29808²

Received 3 March 2000/Accepted 15 June 2000

The spatial distribution of antibiotic resistance to streptomycin and kanamycin was examined in natural bacterial communities of two streams. The proportion of resistant bacteria was substantially higher (P < 0.05) in the midreaches of an industrially perturbed stream, but no such pattern was apparent in an undisturbed reference stream. The highest relative frequency of resistance was found at the confluence of a tributary draining a nuclear reactor and industrial complex. Antibiotic resistance increased with distance upstream from the confluence and was positively correlated (r² = 0.54, P = 0.023) with mercury concentrations in the sediments. When the data for two years were compared, this pattern was stable for streptomycin resistance (paired t test, P < 0.05) but not for kanamycin resistance (P > 0.05). Our results imply that heavy metal pollution may contribute to increased antibiotic resistance through indirect selection.

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^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29801. Phone: (803) 725-5317. Fax: (803) 725-3309. E-mail: mcarthur{at}srel.edu.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2000, p. 3722-3726, Vol. 66, No. 9
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0

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