Chen Xiaozhong, Gao Long, Kou Yanxue, Wang Xiaoxuan, Li Xintong, He Hui, Wang Min
College of Marine Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity (Ministry of Education) and Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
Haide College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China.
Microorganisms. 2025 Mar 20;13(3):697. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13030697.
Marine sediments are recognized as crucial reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, the antibiotic resistome in sediments of the East China Sea, an area heavily impacted by human activities, has not been thoroughly studied. Here, we conducted a systematic investigation into the antibiotic resistome in these sediments using metagenomic analysis. Overall, we detected eighty ARG subtypes and nineteen ARG types. Beta-lactams were the dominant ARG type, and Gammaproteobacteria was the main ARG host in this study. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were not major drivers of ARG profiles. Although the ARG host communities significantly differed between the spring and autumn ( < 0.05), the antibiotic resistome remained stable across the two seasons. The assembly of ARGs and their hosts was governed by stochastic processes, and a high ratio of stochastic processes implied its crucial role in the assembly and stabilization of the antibiotic resistome. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed an important role of Deltaproteobacteria in the stabilization of ARG profiles across seasons. Environmental parameters (e.g., temperature and density) played certain roles in the stabilization of the antibiotic resistome between spring and autumn. Moreover, nine human pathogen bacteria (HPB) were detected in this study. We also found that the health risks caused by ARGs were relatively higher in the spring. Our results will provide a strong foundation for the development of targeted management strategies to mitigate the further dissemination and spread of ARGs in marine sediments.
海洋沉积物被认为是抗生素抗性基因（ARGs）的重要储存库。然而，东海沉积物中的抗生素抗性组，这个受到人类活动严重影响的区域，尚未得到充分研究。在此，我们使用宏基因组分析对这些沉积物中的抗生素抗性组进行了系统调查。总体而言，我们检测到80种ARG亚型和19种ARG类型。β-内酰胺类是主要的ARG类型，γ-变形菌是本研究中的主要ARG宿主。移动遗传元件（MGEs）不是ARG谱的主要驱动因素。尽管春季和秋季之间ARG宿主群落存在显著差异（<0.05），但两个季节的抗生素抗性组保持稳定。ARGs及其宿主的组装受随机过程控制，高比例的随机过程暗示其在抗生素抗性组的组装和稳定中起关键作用。共现网络分析揭示了δ-变形菌在跨季节ARG谱稳定中的重要作用。环境参数（如温度和密度）在春季和秋季之间抗生素抗性组的稳定中起一定作用。此外，本研究中检测到9种人类病原菌（HPB）。我们还发现，春季ARGs造成的健康风险相对较高。我们的结果将为制定有针对性的管理策略提供有力基础，以减轻ARGs在海洋沉积物中的进一步传播和扩散。
