intI 1 gene abundance from septic tanks in Thailand using validated intI 1 primers

Antimicrobial resistance is a global crisis, and wastewater treatment, including septic tanks, remains an important source of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. The role of septic tanks in disseminating class 1 integron, and by extension AMR genes, in Thailand, where antibiotic use is unregulated remains understudied. We aimed to monitor gene abundance as a proxy to infer potential AMR from septic tanks in Thailand. We evaluated published 1 primers due to the lack of consensus on optimal Q-PCR primers and the absence of standardization. Our findings confirmed septic tanks are a source of class 1 integron to the environment. We highlighted the significance of 1 primer choice, in the context of interpretation of risk associated with AMR spread from septic tanks. We recommend the validated set (F3-R3) for optimal 1 quantification toward the goal of achieving standardization across studies.