A multiplayer game: species of Clostridium, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas are responsible for the persistence of antibiotic resistance genes in manure-treated soils.
Antibiotics are routinely used in modern livestock farming. The manure from medicated animals is used for the fertilization of arable crops, which in turn leads to the accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. This is a potentially serious public health issue, yet the identities of the bacterial taxa involved in ARG persistence are as yet undetermined. Using soil-manure microcosm experiments, we investigated the relationship between (i) the persistence of diverse ARGs and (ii) the dynamics of bacterial community members. We were able to identify, for the first time, the bacterial taxa involved in ARG enrichment in manured soils. They were gut-associated Clostridium species, and environmental species of Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas genera, all of them closely related to important nosocomial pathogens. Our data provide new clues on the routes by which ARGs may spread from farms to medical clinics.
State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Sebastien Olivier
SO
Leclercq
State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Chao
C
Wang
State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Zhihai
Z
Sui
College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, China.
Hai
H
Wu
State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Baoli
B
Zhu
Key Lab of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Ye
Y
Deng
State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. fengj@im.ac.cn.
Jie
J
Feng
D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003013:Clostridium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004777:Environment; D008372:Manure; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008372:Manure; D012987:Soil