@article{Shang2026, 
author = {Weidong Shang and Yufei Liu and Dongle Cheng and Huu Hao Ngo and Wenshan Guo and Huaqing Liu and Lin Li and Xinhan Chen and Congcong Liu},
title = {Antibiotic and Cu2+ Co-Selection in MFCs Treating Swine Wastewater: Antibiotic Resistance Genes Dynamics and Removal Performance},
year = {2026},
journal = {Environmental Chemistry and Safety},
volume = {2},
number = {1},
pages = {9600008},
keywords = {Microbial fuel cells, antibiotics, Copper ion, antibiotic resistance genes, microbial community},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/ECS.2026.9600008},
doi = {10.26599/ECS.2026.9600008},
abstract = {Intensive livestock production relies heavily on sulfonamides, quinolones and Cu/Zn additives, creating potent co-selective pressures that accelerate the environmental spread of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). This study examined the effects of combined sulfamethoxazole (SMX), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and copper (Cu2+) in swine wastewater on microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance and ARGs accumulation. Closed-circuit MFCs achieved 95.9% COD removal in pristine influent, 88-90% under antibiotic stress and 81% when Cu2+ was present, while maintaining >99% removal of both SMX and CIP via adsorption and biodegradation. Although Cu2+ reduced coulombic efficiency by ~30%, stable electricity generation persisted. Cu2+ co-stress doubled class 1 integron abundance and tripled sul, qnr, and cus gene copies relative to antibiotic-only conditions. Anodic polarization enriched electroactive and Cu-tolerant taxa (e.g., Trichococcus and Rhodococcus) associated with ARGs, mobile genetic elements, and metal-resistance genes. PICRUSt2 analysis indicated upregulation of DNA repair, metal efflux, and electron-transfer-related pathways, suggesting functional coupling between bioelectrochemical activity and resistance propagation. These findings demonstrate that while MFCs efficiently remove organic matter and antibiotics, they can simultaneously intensify resistance-gene evolution through quantitative, host-associated and functional mechanisms, highlighting the urgent need for post-treatment barriers or operational optimization to curb ARG dissemination from livestock-wastewater treatment systems.}
}