Co-selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a paddy soil exposed to As(III) contamination with an emphasis on potential pathogens

Abstract

The increased acquisition of antibiotic resistance by pathogens is a global health concern. The environmental selection of antibiotic resistance can be caused by either antibiotic residues or co-selecting agents such as toxic metal(loid)s. This study explored the potential role of As(III) as a co-selecting driver in the spread of antibiotic resistance in paddy soils. By applying high-throughput sequencing, we found that the diversity and composition of soil microbial communities was significantly altered by As(III) exposure, resulting in an increased proportion of potential pathogens (9.9%) compared to the control soil (0.1%). Meanwhile, a total of 46 As(III)-resistant isolates were obtained from As(III)-exposure soil, among which potential pathogens accounted for 54.3%. These As(III)-resistant bacteria showed a high incidence of resistance to sulfanilamide (100%) and streptomycin (88–93%). The association between antibiotic and As(III) resistances was further investigated in a potentially pathogenic isolate by whole-genome sequencing and a transcription assay. The results showed that As(III) and antibiotic resistance genes might co-occur in a mobile genomic island and be co-regulated by As(III), implying that antibiotic resistance could be co-selected by As(III) via co-resistance and co-regulation mechanisms. Overall, these results suggest that As(III) exposure provides a strong selective pressure for the expansion of soil bacterial resistome.