KNOXVILLE, TN, April 26, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is a widely distributed antibiotic that poses significant ecological risks in aquatic environments. Constructed wetlands, essential for pollutant removal, rely on microbial communities for biogeochemical transformations. This study reveals how positive bacteria-phage interactions improve SMX removal in these systems. The addition of phage-concentrated solutions (PCS) increased SMX removal efficiency by up to 35%. Phages enrich SMX-degrading bacteria and enhance their metabolic capacity through auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs). Notably, lytic viruses reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by lysing antibiotic-resistant bacterial cells. These findings highlight the ecological role of viruses in bioremediation and antibiotic resistance management.
Sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a sulfonamide antibiotic, is frequently detected in environmental systems and remains a persistent contaminant in water, sediment, and soil. The removal of SMX in sewage treatment plants is ineffective, and its presence poses a serious ecological threat. Constructed wetlands have become a critical strategy for treating such pollutants, yet their efficiency is limited by complex microbial interactions. Viruses, particularly bacteriophages, are abundant in these systems and influence microbial community dynamics. However, the role of viruses in degrading antibiotics and mitigating antibiotic resistance remains underexplored. This study investigates how viruses regulate microbial responses to SMX contamination and contribute to bioremediation.
A team of researchers from Qingdao University and several other institutions published (DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2026.100698) a study on April 5, 2026, in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, examining the role of viruses in SMX removal in constructed wetlands. The research demonstrates that the addition of phage-concentrated solutions (PCS) enhances the degradation of SMX by enriching SMX-degrading bacteria. The study also highlights how lytic viruses reduce antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by lysing resistant bacteria. This work underscores the ecological significance of bacteria-phage interactions in wetland systems and their potential for improving bioremediation efforts.
The study focused on the impact of PCS on SMX removal in wetland sediments. The researchers observed a 35% increase in SMX removal efficiency when PCS was added compared to the control. PCS enriched bacterial populations capable of degrading SMX, particularly in the Proteobacteria and Firmicutes phyla, which are known for their role in antibiotic degradation. Additionally, the presence of PCS altered extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production, enhancing biofilm formation, which plays a critical role in pollutant removal.
The study also revealed that lytic viruses, which destroy bacterial cells, significantly reduced the abundance of ARGs in the microbial community. These lytic viruses were found to be more abundant than lysogenic viruses in PCS-treated systems, indicating that viral predation on resistant bacteria was more influential than gene transfer via lysogeny. This study sheds light on how viruses can regulate microbial community structure and function, promoting efficient bioremediation of antibiotic contaminants while curbing the spread of resistance.
“Our findings highlight the crucial role of viruses in enhancing antibiotic removal in wetland systems,” says Dr. Xiaohui Liu, the corresponding author. “By enriching SMX-degrading bacteria and limiting the spread of ARGs through lysis, viruses provide an innovative approach to bioremediation. The ability to regulate viral populations in constructed wetlands could offer a sustainable solution for managing environmental antibiotic contamination and reducing the global health threat of antibiotic resistance.”
This study paves the way for improving the efficiency of constructed wetlands in treating pharmaceutical contaminants, particularly antibiotics like SMX. By harnessing the natural ability of viruses to modulate bacterial metabolism, these findings suggest that engineered control of viral communities could optimize pollutant degradation processes in wetland systems. These results offer significant implications for the development of more sustainable and effective bioremediation strategies. Additionally, the study provides valuable insights into the role of viruses in controlling antibiotic resistance, potentially informing future efforts to mitigate the health risks posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
References
DOI
10.1016/j.ese.2026.100698
Original Source URL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2026.100698
Funding information
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (No. 42207260, 52470105, 82300645), the Taishan Scholars Project of Shandong Province (No. tsqn202312094, tsqnz20250721), Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2025QC1122), Shandong Provincial Higher Education Institution Youth Innovation Teams (No. 2023KJ034, 2025KJH195), Research Fund of Anhui Institute of translational medicine (2022zhyx-B15), Outstanding Youth Program of Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation (2408085Y039), Key Project for cultivating outstanding young teachers of Higher Education in Anhui Province (YQZD202406).
About Environmental Science and Ecotechnology
Environmental Science and Ecotechnology (ISSN 2666-4984) is an international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal published by Elsevier. The journal publishes significant views and research across the full spectrum of ecology and environmental sciences, such as climate change, sustainability, biodiversity conservation, environment & health, green catalysis/processing for pollution control, and AI-driven environmental engineering. The latest impact factor of ESE is 14.3, according to the Journal Citation ReportsTM 2024.
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