## 4 Conclusions  
The presence of _bac_A, _class A beta-lactamase_, _meX_D, _qac_Edelta1, _su1_ and _su1_ as PARGs reveals the risk of antibiotic resistance in the WWTPs of Xinjiang. The main ARG hosts were _E. coli_ (12.9%), _A. johnsonii_ (8.94%) and _K. pneumoniae_ (5.30%), which may pose a threat to human health. ARGs were mainly located on the chromosome in the influent, while activated sludge and effluent predominantly contained plasmid-localized ARGs. Most ARG types were carried by plasmids except bacitracin and multidrug resistance genes, which were mainly carried by chromosomes. There was a high frequency of stable ARG-ICE coexistence structures on ACCs such as ICE_Paee_690-_su1_-_qac_Edelta1 and ICE_Pmi_Chn3-_su1_2, indicating that there is a high risk of HGT of ARGs leading to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance in the receiving environment. This work showed the potential hosts and genetic characteristics of ARGs in WWTPs in Xinjiang and highlights an urgent need to limit the use of antibiotics and devise strategies to control the spread of ARGs, including improving sterilization methods in wastewater. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app12063100/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app12063100/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app12063100/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app12063100/s1)), Table S1: Summary statistics for reads and contigs generated by metagenomic sequencing, Table S2: The information of ARG-carrying contigs as well as the genetic location and hosts of ARGs, Table S3: Pathogens in Figure S4A carry specific information about ARGs in CJ WWTP, Table S4: Co-occurrence of ARGs and MGEs, Figure S1: The diversity of ARG subtypes from different ARG types (A) and different samples (B), Figure S2: The relative abundance of persistent ARGs and the percentage of total ARG abundance, Figure S3: Summary of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the influent (INF), activated sludge (AS), and effluent (EFF) of Changji (CJ) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). (A) Relative abundance of the ARG types. (B) Relative abundance and distribution of persistent ARGs, Figure S4: The potential host information of ARGs in CJ WWTP. (A) Phylogenetic tree representing the composition and relative abundance of the top 10 ARG potential hosts from the domain level (\(D\)), to the phylum (\(P\)), class (C),  
Figure 5: Arrangements of PARG-carrying contigs with MGEs and their potential hosts in HX WWTP. The ICE_6440-ICE_Paee_690-_su1_-_qac_Edelta1 (**A**) and ICE_Pmi_Chn3-_su1_2 (**B**) coexistence structures in the influent, activated sludge, and effluent. genus (G), and species (S) level. Branch width represents the relative abundance of the corresponding ARG potential hosts. Larger bold fonts represent antibiotic resistance pathogens (ARPs). (B) The bar chart shows the diversity and relative abundance of ARG types carried by hosts at the species level in (A), Figure S5: The Venn diagram shows the ARBs shared by all samples, Figure S6: The percentage of contigs carrying one and at least two ARGs, Figure S7: Genetic location of ARGs in CJ WWTP. (A) The percentage of ARG-carrying contigs belonged to plasmid, chromosomal and unclassified sequences in the influent, activated sludge, and effluent. (B) Genetic location and frequency of ARGs were carried by chromosomes or plasmids summarized by ARG type, Figure S8: The percentage of ACCs with MGEs detected in each sample, Figure S9: The _aph_(6)-_I_-_aph_(3\({}^{\prime}\))-_I_-Tn5393-ICE_k_K_KWG1 (A) and _class A beta-lactamase_-ICE_6440_ (B) coexistence structures in two WWTPs, Figure S10: Arrangements of PARG-carrying contigs with MGEs and their putative hosts in CJ WWTP. The ICE_6440_-ICE_Pae690-_sul_1-_pac_E_delta1 (A) and ICE_Pmi_Chn3-_sul_2 (B) coexistence structures in the influent, activated sludge, and effluent. Conceptualization, J.Y. and Y.C. ; Data curation, J.Y. ; Funding acquisition, J.Y. ; Investigation, Z.L. ([PERSON]), H.M., A.R., Z.L. ([PERSON]) and W.D. ; Methodology, Z.L.