Antibiotic resistance in environmental matrices becomes urgently significant for public health and has been considered as an emerging environmental contaminant. In this work, the ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli (AR E. coli) and corresponding resistance genes (bla_TEM-1) were effectively eliminated by the electrocatalytic process, and the dissemination risk of antibiotic resistance was also investigated. All the AR E. coli (∼8 log) was inactivated and 8.17 log bla_TEM-1 was degraded by the carbon nanotubes/agarose/titanium (CNTs/AG/Ti) electrode within 30 min. AR E. coli was inactivated mainly attributing to the damage of cell membrane, which was attacked by reactive oxygen species and subsequent leakage of intracellular cytoplasm. The bla_TEM-1 was degraded owing to the strand breaking in the process of electrocatalytic degradation. Furthermore, the dissemination risk of antibiotic resistance was effectively controlled after being electrocatalytic treatment. This study provided an effective electrocatalytic technology for the inactivation of antibiotic resistant bacteria and control of antibiotic resistance dissemination risk in the aqueous environment.

环境基质中的抗生素耐药性对公共卫生具有紧迫意义，并已被视为一种新兴的环境污染物。在这项工作中，通过电催化过程有效消除了耐氨苄青霉素的大肠杆菌（AR E.coli）和相应的耐药基因（bla _TEM-1），并研究了抗生素耐药性的传播风险。在 30 分钟内，所有 AR大肠杆菌（~8 log）都被灭活，8.17 log bla _TEM-1被碳纳米管/琼脂糖/钛（CNTs/AG/Ti）电极降解。AR大肠杆菌失活主要是由于细胞膜受损，细胞膜受到活性氧的攻击和随后的细胞内细胞质泄漏。由于电催化降解过程中链断裂，bla _TEM-1被降解。此外，经电催化处理后，抗生素耐药性的传播风险得到有效控制。该研究为灭活抗生素耐药菌和控制水环境中抗生素耐药性传播风险提供了一种有效的电催化技术。