Simultaneous Removal of Multidrug-resistant Salmonella Enterica Serotype Typhimurium, Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes from Water by Electrooxidation on a Magnéli Phase Ti4O7 Anode

Abstract Antibiotics and multi-drug resistant bacteria are present extensively in different environmental matrices, and considered as contaminants of emerging concern. This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of using electrooxidation (EO) with Magneli phase Ti4O7 anode to simultaneously remove bacterial pathogens, antibiotics and antibacterial resistance genes (ARGs) from water. A model pathogen, multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium DT104, was completely deactivated with 6.2 log reduction in 15 min at the current density of 10.0 mA cm−2, while ARGs (i.e., TetG, floR and sul1), class 1 integron gene (intI1) and virulence genes (invA and spvC) that were contained in the pathogen were removed by as much as 99.65 % to 99.94%. Model antibiotics, tetracycline (TC) and sulfadimethoxine (SDM), were degraded over 93% in the same EO treatment system within 3 h. It was found that both direct electron transfer (DET) and •OH-mediated oxidation played important roles in the removal of the ARGs during the EO process. EO may be a promising tool to control the spread of antibiotic resistence by removing pathogens, antibiotics and ARGs simultaneously.