Effects of UV light disinfection on tetracycline-resistant bacteria in wastewater treatment plants

As wastewater treatment plants are a potential source of antibiotic resistance in the environment, it is important to study the effects of various treatment technologies upon resistant bacteria. This study investigated the effect of UV treatment on tetracycline-resistant bacteria. Resistant and nonresistant heterotrophic bacteria and E. coli from samples collected from a wastewater treatment plant were cultured and enumerated. The regrowth fractions of the organisms under both photoreactivation and dark repair conditions were calculated and compared between resistant and non-resistant organisms. It was concluded that there is no significant difference between the reduction of resistant and non-resistant bacteria by UV treatment. Thus, UV treatment can be an effective technology for reducing antibiotic resistant bacteria in wastewater effluent; however, further research should be conducted including other treatment technologies to determine the most effective methods of reducing resistant bacteria in wastewater treatment plant effluent.