Accepted Article

Received Date : 04-Sep-2013 Revised Date : 22-Oct-2013 Accepted Date : 03-Nov-2013 Article type : Research Note Research Note

Bacteriophages as a reservoir of extended-spectrum β-lactamase and fluoroquinolone resistance genes in the environment

Running title: Antibiotic resistance genes in phages

Elisabet Marti*, Eleni Variatza and José Luis Balcázar

*Corresponding author. Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, Emili Grahit 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain Tel: (+34) 972183380; Fax: (+34) 972183248; E-mail: [email protected].

Keywords: Bacteriophages, antibiotic resistance genes, hospital and WWTP effluents, public health.

Abstract Six antibiotic resistance genes (blaCTX, blaSHV, blaTEM, qnrA, qnrB and qnrS) were

quantified by qPCR in both phage and bacterial DNA fractions of environmental water This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/1469-0691.12446 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Accepted Article

samples in order to determine the contribution of phages to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. Although the highest copy numbers (p