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Increased Transmission of Antibiotic Resistance Occurs in a Soil Food Chain under Pesticide Stress

Lookup NU author(s): Professor David GrahamORCiD

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Abstract

© 2024 American Chemical Society.The rising spread of antibiotic resistance is a global concern, but the pathways of dissemination within soil ecosystems remain poorly understood. Here, we quantified the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in gut microbiomes of soil collembolans (Folsomia candida) under pesticide stress (zinc thiazole, ZT) and analyzed the trophic transfer of ARGs to the microbiomes of predatory mites (Hypoaspis aculeifer), natural predators of collembolans. High throughput quantitative PCR was used to quantify ARGs, whereas gut microbiomes of collembolans and mites were characterized using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and potential pathogens were identified. Our results revealed that ZT exposure significantly elevated the abundance of ARGs (e.g., AAC(6’)-Ir) in soil collembolan microbiomes. With the increase of ARGs in prey collembolan microbiomes, an increase of ARGs in predatory mite microbiomes was observed through trophic transfer. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) significantly contribute to the transmission of ARGs within this food chain. Additionally, co-occurrence analysis indicated a strong association between gut resistomes and pathogens, such as Brevundimonas diminuta, in the collembolans and predatory mites. Overall, our study provides evidence for the dissemination of ARGs through the collembolan-predatory mite food chain following pesticide exposure, which is important for understanding the broader dynamics of antibiotic resistance spreading in soil ecosystems.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Liu Z-L, Wang Y-F, Zhu D, Quintela-Baluja M, Graham DW, Zhu Y-G, Qiao M

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Environmental Science and Technology

Year: 2024

Volume: 58

Issue: 50

Pages: 21989−22001

Print publication date: 17/12/2024

Online publication date: 08/12/2024

Acceptance date: 19/11/2024

ISSN (print): 0013-936X

ISSN (electronic): 1520-5851

Publisher: American Chemical Society

URL: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c07822

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c07822

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