The Ocean as a Global Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance Genes
TLDR
The ocean is uncovered a previously unknown diversity of genes that conferred an AR phenotype among marine environments, which makes the ocean a global reservoir of both clinically relevant and potentially novel AR genes.Abstract:
Recent studies of natural environments have revealed vast genetic reservoirs of antibiotic resistance (AR) genes. Soil bacteria and human pathogens share AR genes, and AR genes have been discovered in a variety of habitats. However, there is little knowledge about the presence and diversity of AR genes in marine environments and which organisms host AR genes. To address this, we identified the diversity of genes conferring resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, nitrofurantoin, and sulfadimethoxine in diverse marine environments using functional metagenomics (the cloning and screening of random DNA fragments). Marine environments were host to a diversity of AR-conferring genes. Antibiotic-resistant clones were found at all sites, with 28% of the genes identified as known AR genes (encoding beta-lactamases, bicyclomycin resistance pumps, etc.). However, the majority of AR genes were not previously classified as such but had products similar to proteins such as transport pumps, oxidoreductases, and hydrolases. Furthermore, 44% of the genes conferring antibiotic resistance were found in abundant marine taxa (e.g., Pelagibacter, Prochlorococcus, and Vibrio). Therefore, we uncovered a previously unknown diversity of genes that conferred an AR phenotype among marine environments, which makes the ocean a global reservoir of both clinically relevant and potentially novel AR genes.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
The structure and diversity of human, animal and environmental resistomes
TL;DR: Air and antibiotic-polluted environments are identified as under-investigated transmission routes and reservoirs for antibiotic resistance and the hypothesis that these also form vast sources of unknown resistance genes, with potential to be transferred to pathogens in the future is supported.
Journal ArticleDOI
Aquaculture as yet another environmental gateway to the development and globalisation of antimicrobial resistance.
TL;DR: Efforts to prevent antimicrobial overuse in aquaculture must include education of all stakeholders about its detrimental effects on the health of fish, human beings, and the aquatic ecosystem (the notion of One Health), and encouragement of environmentally friendly measures of disease prevention, including vaccines, probiotics, and bacteriophages.
Journal ArticleDOI
Plastics in the marine environment are reservoirs for antibiotic and metal resistance genes.
TL;DR: This first analysis of the diversity, abundance, and co-occurrence of ARGs and MRGs, and their relationships within the microbial community, using metagenomic data of plastic particles observed in the North Pacific Gyre obtained from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information Sequence Read Archive database suggests the co-effects of selection for antibiotic or metal resistance are important factors influencing the resistome of the microbiota on the plastic particles.
Book ChapterDOI
Metal Resistance and Its Association With Antibiotic Resistance.
Chandan Pal,Karishma Asiani,Sankalp Arya,Christopher Rensing,Christopher Rensing,Dov J. Stekel,D. G. Joakim Larsson,Jon L. Hobman +7 more
TL;DR: Antibiotic resistance is recognised as a major global threat to public health by the World Health Organization and nonantibiotic compounds, such as antibacterial biocides and metals, may also contribute to the promotion of antibiotic resistance through co-selection.
Journal ArticleDOI
Prevalence of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in a wastewater effluent-receiving river in the Netherlands
N.A. Sabri,Heike Schmitt,B.M. van der Zaan,H.W. Gerritsen,T. Zuidema,Huub H.M. Rijnaarts,Alette A.M. Langenhoff +6 more
TL;DR: Even though human antibiotic usage is low in the Netherlands, antibiotics, residues of antibiotics, and ARGs are detected in the river surface water-sediment system, which shows that a river has the potential to act as a reservoir of ARGs.
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