Impact of bioaccessible pyrene on the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes during Sphingobium sp.- and sophorolipid-enhanced bioremediation in soil

Soils are exposed to various types of chemical contaminants due to anthropogenic activities; however, research on persistent organic pollutants and the existence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is limited. To our knowledge, the present work for the first time focused on the bioremediation of soil co-contaminated with pyrene and tetracycline/sulfonamide-resistance genes. After 90 days of incubation, the pyrene concentration and the abundance of the four ARGs (tetW, tetM, sulI, and sulII) significantly decreased in different treatment conditions (p < 0.05). The greatest pyrene removal (47.8%) and greatest decrease in ARG abundance (from 10−7 to 10−8 ARG copies per 16S rRNA copy) were observed in microcosms with a combination of bacterial and sophorolipid treatment. Throughout the incubation, pyrene bioaccessibility constantly declined in the microcosm inoculated with bacteria. However, an increased pyrene bioaccessibility and ARG abundance at day 40 were observed in soil treated with sophorolipid alone. Tenax extraction methods and linear correlation analysis indicated a strong positive relationship between the rapidly desorbing fraction (Fr) of pyrene and ARG abundance. Therefore, we conclude that bioaccessible pyrene rather than total pyrene plays a major role in the maintenance and fluctuation of ARG abundance in the soil.