Metagenomic Analysis Revealing Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) and Their Genetic Compartments in the Tibetan Environment.
Comprehensive profiles of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in a minimally impacted environment are essential to understanding the evolution and dissemination of modern antibiotic resistance. Chemical analyses of the samples collected from Tibet demonstrated that the region under investigation was almost devoid of anthropogenic antibiotics. The soils, animal wastes, and sediments were different from each other in terms of bacterial community structures, and in the typical profiles of ARGs and MGEs. Diverse ARGs that encoded resistance to common antibiotics (e.g., beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, etc.) were found mainly via an efflux mechanism completely distinct from modern antibiotic resistome. In addition, a very small fraction of ARGs in the Tibetan environment were carried by MGEs, indicating the low potential of these ARGs to be transferred among bacteria. In comparison to the ARG profiles in relatively pristine Tibet, contemporary ARGs and MGEs in human-impacted environments have evolved substantially since the broad use of anthropogenic antibiotics.
South China Sea Resource Exploitation and Protection Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.|Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hung Hom, Kowloon Hong Kong.|Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.
Baowei
B
Chen
MOE Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Safety, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.
Ke
K
Yuan
South China Sea Resource Exploitation and Protection Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.|Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.
Xin
X
Chen
South China Sea Resource Exploitation and Protection Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.
Ying
Y
Yang
Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Tong
T
Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100085, China.
Yawei
Y
Wang
MOE Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Safety, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.
Tiangang
T
Luan
South China Sea Resource Exploitation and Protection Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou 510275, China.
Shichun
S
Zou
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hung Hom, Kowloon Hong Kong.
Xiangdong
X
Li
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D056186:Metagenomics; D047090:beta-Lactams / Q000494:pharmacology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D047090:beta-Lactams