LAUSR

The pollution characteristics of the typical antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the sediments of the sea area adjacent to the Yangtze Estuary, China was investigated with both seasonal and spatial insights. The positive rates of sulfonamides sul1, sul2, tetracycline tetW and quinolone gyrA resistance genes in the sediments of all sampling sites were 100%, indicating that the sea area adjacent to the Yangtze Estuary were extensively polluted by these ARGs. Occupying a dominance in most sampling sites, sul1 was found to be the dominant resistance gene in the sediments of the sea area adjacent to the Yangtze Estuary. In terms of seasonal variation characteristics, the absolute abundance of ARGs in flood season was higher than that in dry season. In terms of spatial distribution characteristics, the ARGs concentrations in the south sites were mostly higher than those in the north, and the high abundance sites mostly located near the coast. Different ARGs also showed different spatial distribution characteristics. The results could provide basic data for the research on the pollution evolution of ARGs in the Yangtze Estuary.