Vol. 43 No. 5 (2026): October
Original Article

Community surveillance of critical antimicrobial resistance genes in urban wastewater from Santiago, Chile

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  • Jorge Olivares Pacheco,
  • Diego Lira Velasquez,
  • Karina Alvarez-Mondaca,
  • Nicolás Núñez-Pérez,
  • Diego Olivares-Meneses
Jorge Olivares Pacheco
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso
Diego Lira Velasquez
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
Karina Alvarez-Mondaca
Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
Bio
Nicolás Núñez-Pérez
Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
Bio
Diego Olivares-Meneses
Innovación Aguas Andinas, Santiago
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4067/s0716-10182026000500160

Published 2026-10-01

Keywords

How to Cite

1.
Olivares Pacheco J, Lira Velasquez D, Alvarez-Mondaca K, Núñez-Pérez N, Olivares-Meneses D. Community surveillance of critical antimicrobial resistance genes in urban wastewater from Santiago, Chile. Rev. Chilena. Infectol. [Internet]. 2026 Oct. 1 [cited 2026 Oct. 1];43(5). Available from: https://revinf.cl/index.php/revinf/article/view/2642

Copyright (c) 2026 Jorge Olivares Pacheco, Diego Lira Velasquez, Dra. Alvarez-Mondaca, Dr. Núñez-Pérez, Dr. Olivares-Meneses

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to public health, and wastewater serves as a complementary matrix for its surveillance.

Aim: To assess the frequency and temporal distribution of blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, and mcr-1 in wastewater in Santiago, Chile.

Materials and Methods: 97 weekly samples collected from July 2020 to July 2021 at the La Farfana and Mapocho-Trebal wastewater treatment facilities were analyzed. The genes were detected using PCR. Frequencies were compared using Fisher's exact test, and temporal trends were assessed using the Cochran-Armitage test.

Results: In La Farfana, blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, and mcr-1 were detected in 92%, 62%, 28%, and 34% of cases, respectively; in Mapocho-Trebal, in 96%, 70%, 34%, and 49% of cases. There were no significant differences between the facilities. Only blaNDM showed a significant upward trend over time in both plants.

Conclusion: Wastewater can be used to supplement the monitoring of antimicrobial resistance genes in Chile.

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