Erkorkmaz Burak Adnan, Zeevi David, Rudich Yinon
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
Sci Total Environ. 2025 Jan 1;958:178021. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178021. Epub 2024 Dec 13.
The atmosphere hosts a microbiome that connects distant ecosystems yet remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that dust storms enhance the spread of pathogenic microorganisms and whether these microorganisms carry antibiotic resistance and virulence-related genes in the Eastern Mediterranean. We collected air samples during a seasonal transition period, capturing data from 13 dusty days originating from Middle Eastern sources, including the Saharan Desert, Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, and 32 clear days, with temperatures ranging from 16.5 to 27.1 °C. Using metagenomic analysis, we identified several facultative pathogens like Klebsiella pneumoniae, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Aspergillus fumigatus, which are linked to human respiratory diseases, and others like Zymoseptoria tritici, Fusarium poae, and Puccinia striiformis, which are harmful to wheat. The abundance of these pathogens increased during dust storms and with rising temperatures. Although we did not find strong evidence that these species harbored antibiotic resistance or virulence-related genes, which could be linked to their pathogenic potential, dust storms transported up to 125 times more total antibiotic resistance genes, as measured by RPKM abundance, compared to clear conditions. These levels during dust storms far exceeded those found in other ecosystems. While further research is needed to determine whether dust storms and temperature variations pose an immediate threat to public health and the environment, our findings underscore the importance of continuous monitoring of atmospheric microbiomes. This surveillance is crucial for assessing potential risks to human health and ecosystem stability, particularly in the face of accelerating global climate change.
大气中存在着一个微生物群落，它连接着遥远的生态系统，但仍相对未被探索。在本研究中，我们检验了以下假设：沙尘暴会促进致病微生物的传播，以及这些微生物是否携带东地中海地区与抗生素耐药性和毒力相关的基因。我们在季节转换期收集了空气样本，获取了来自中东地区（包括撒哈拉沙漠、伊拉克、伊朗和沙特阿拉伯）的13个沙尘日以及32个晴朗日的数据，温度范围为16.5至27.1摄氏度。通过宏基因组分析，我们鉴定出了几种兼性病原体，如与人类呼吸道疾病相关的肺炎克雷伯菌、嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌和烟曲霉，以及对小麦有害的诸如小麦叶枯病菌、禾谷镰刀菌和条锈菌等其他病原体。这些病原体的丰度在沙尘暴期间以及温度升高时增加。尽管我们没有找到有力证据表明这些物种携带与抗生素耐药性或毒力相关的基因，而这些基因可能与其致病潜力有关，但与晴朗天气相比，通过RPKM丰度测量，沙尘暴期间运输的总抗生素耐药基因多出125倍。沙尘暴期间的这些水平远远超过了在其他生态系统中发现的水平。虽然需要进一步研究以确定沙尘暴和温度变化是否对公众健康和环境构成直接威胁，但我们的研究结果强调了持续监测大气微生物群落的重要性。这种监测对于评估对人类健康和生态系统稳定性的潜在风险至关重要，尤其是在全球气候变化加速的情况下。
