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Phage-Mediated Dissemination of Antibiotic Resistance Genes: Mechanisms and Their Response to Human Activities
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Researchers examined bacteriophage-mediated dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes, arguing that lysogenization is a significantly underestimated transfer pathway and demonstrating that human-associated pressures including antibiotics, heavy metals, and microplastics substantially increase resistance gene spread risks.
抗生素耐药基因的广泛传播对全球公共卫生构成严重威胁。噬菌体是抗菌疗法的重要补充，但其自身生命周期驱动的基因流动也是抗生素耐药性扩散的重要途径，这一双重角色构成了当前研究的焦点与矛盾。然而，在人类活动加剧的背景下，当前对复杂环境中噬菌体介导抗生素耐药性扩散的关键路径及其风险等级仍缺乏系统认知。与普遍认知不同，转导过程的载体（即转导颗粒）是基因组缺陷的噬菌体，其在环境中转移抗生素耐药基因的效率低下；相反，溶原化过程的载体是正常的温和噬菌体，温和噬菌体感染的普遍性及其引发“棘轮效应”的潜力使溶原化成为一条被严重低估的抗生素耐药基因传播路径。进一步分析表明，抗生素、重金属和微塑料等典型人为压力会显著影响上述路径，加剧抗生素耐药基因的传播风险。本文旨在明确噬菌体介导抗生素耐药基因传播的不同机制及其对典型人类活动的响应，以期为理性利用噬菌体、阻遏抗生素耐药性传播提供理论依据。
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This review summarizes how bacterial communities that form protective films (biofilms) on surfaces -- including microplastics -- serve as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes that can spread to other bacteria. The paper highlights that viruses called bacteriophages can transfer these resistance genes between bacteria within biofilms, potentially accelerating the spread of drug-resistant infections that are increasingly difficult to treat.
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. The tiny plastic particles create conditions that help bacteria exchange resistance genes more easily by generating oxidative stress, making cell membranes more permeable, and providing surfaces where resistant bacteria can form communities. This is a growing public health concern because antibiotic-resistant infections are increasingly difficult to treat.
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Researchers found that silver nanoparticles, a common pollutant, helped antibiotic resistance genes spread between bacteria more easily, both in open water and on microplastic surfaces. The nanoparticles caused cell membrane damage that made bacteria more vulnerable to infection by virus-like particles carrying resistance genes. This study reveals a concerning three-way interaction between nanoparticles, microplastics, and antibiotic resistance that could accelerate the spread of drug-resistant bacteria in waterways.
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Researchers used metagenomics to show that micro- and nanoplastics in sewage digesters enrich antibiotic resistance genes by up to 18% and promote the spread of those genes via plasmid transfer, while simultaneously finding that phage viruses — stimulated by plastic stress — kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and partially offset that resistance buildup.
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Sulfate-modified polystyrene nanoplastics were found to facilitate the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between E. coli strains more effectively than larger particles, operating through SOS response induction, increased membrane permeability, and altered gene expression. The findings highlight nanoplastics as potential accelerators of antibiotic resistance spread in the environment.
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