Mosaka, Thabang B.M.Unuofin, John OnolameDaramola, Michael OlawaleTizaoui, ChedlyIwarere, Samuel Ayodele2024-08-272024-08-272024-08Mosaka, T.B.M., Unuofin, J.O., Daramola, M.O. et al. Non-thermal obliteration of critically ranked carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and its resistance gene in a batch atmospheric plasma reactor. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31, 49811–49822 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34475-4.0944-1344 (print)1614-7499 (online)10.1007/s11356-024-34475-4http://hdl.handle.net/2263/97891AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIALS : Sources of data collected have been mentioned in the text.Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been implicated as direct key reservoir of both antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) associated with human infection, as high concentrations of ARBs and ARGs have been detected in recycled hospital wastewater. Among the ARBs, the carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has been ranked as priority 1 (critical) pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO), due to its overwhelming burden on public health. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology as an alternative disinfection step to inactivate this bacterium and its ARGs. Culture-based method and PCR were employed in confirming the carbapenem resistance gene blaNDM-1 in A. baumannii (BAA 1605). Suspension of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (24 h culture) was prepared from the confirmed isolate and subjected to plasma treatment at varying time intervals (3 min, 6 min, 9 min, 12 min, and 15 min) in triplicates. The plasma-treated samples were evaluated for re-growth and the presence of the resistance gene. The treatment resulted in a 1.13 log reduction after 3 min and the highest log reduction of ≥ 8 after 15 min, and the results also showed that NTP was able to inactivate the blaNDM-1 gene. The log reduction and gel image results suggest that plasma disinfection has a great potential to be an efficient tertiary treatment step for WWTPs.en© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB)Antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs)Non-thermal plasma (NTP)Acinetobacter baumanniiCarbapenem-resistant geneCold atmospheric plasmaDisinfectionSDG-06: Clean water and sanitationSDG-12: Responsible consumption and productionArticle