Metagenomic profiling of hospital wastewater: A comprehensive national scale analysis of antimicrobial resistance genes and opportunistic pathogens

A study using wastewater from Welsh hospitals found that antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and opportunistic pathogens varied significantly across the hospitals. OXA-type beta-lactamases were the dominant ARG types, and antibiotic concentrations in effluents often exceeded risk quotients, posing a substantial risk for AMR emergence. The study emphasizes the importance of combining wastewater-based epidemiology with metagenomics to understand resistome and microbiome profiles in hospital settings and suggests implementing pre-treatment processes to curb micro-pollutant spread.