Tong Zhang from The University of Hong Kong presented at London Calling 2019 on “Mobile antibiotic resistome in wastewater treatment plants revealed by nanopore metagenomic sequencing.” Zhang explained that the work was mainly performed by a student in their research group. The impact of environmental resistance was emphasized with the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in different locations. Zhang noted that there is high diversity in the microbiome found in wastewater treatment plants. These microbes form biofilms and often harbor plasmids and mobile genetic elements of concern. Sequencing is important to determine the genetic content of these microbial communities. Long-read sequencing helps to assemble contigs and understand repetitive elements. Zhang and others have helped develop a database. Zhang explained that there are methods to report and compare the prevalence of antibiotic-resistance genes in different wastewater plants. Plasmids and mobile genetic elements can be detected and characterized through sequencing and use of selective media. Nanopore sequencing can help us learn about antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Zhang shared an example in which, on one flow cell, they sequenced twelve genomes. Assemblies from metagenomes can identify plasmids and hosts. Zhang and the team have developed a workflow to perform this work. I am interested in what this group has developed since 2019 and if we can adapt protocols.
