Zhang Kexing, Zhou Xumei, Zhang Xu, Huang Na, Zhao Zhengyang, Zhang Xinqiang, Zhou Yong, Li Juntao, Yu Fangyi, Liu Yuan, Qin Pengzhe, Wu Xinwei, He Peng
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China.
Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Guangzhou Health Supervision institute), Guangzhou, Guangdong 510440, P.R. China.
iScience. 2025 Mar 20;28(5):112254. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112254. eCollection 2025 May 16.
Intensive care units (ICUs) are critical environments for the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, with numerous studies focusing on resistant pathogens in these settings. However, transferable antibiotic resistance plasmids (TARPs)-regardless of their origin from pathogenic or non-pathogenic bacteria-are key drivers of resistance gene dissemination and the emergence of resistant strains. This study investigated TARPs in ICU air. Air samples were directly used to isolate resistant plasmids using CV601 as the recipient. Plasmid types, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and virulence factors were identified through sequencing, and resistance phenotypes were validated. A total of 30 distinct plasmid types were detected, with IncX3 being the most prevalent. Among 245 ARGs identified, , , and were dominant. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these TARPs originated from bacteria commonly colonizing human mucosa. ICU airborne TARPs may significantly contribute to the spread of ARGs and antibiotic resistance transmission.
重症监护病房（ICU）是抗生素耐药菌出现的关键环境，众多研究聚焦于这些环境中的耐药病原体。然而，可转移抗生素耐药质粒（TARPs）——无论其源自致病细菌还是非致病细菌——都是耐药基因传播和耐药菌株出现的关键驱动因素。本研究调查了ICU空气中的TARPs。空气样本直接用于以CV601作为受体分离耐药质粒。通过测序鉴定质粒类型、抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）和毒力因子，并验证耐药表型。共检测到30种不同的质粒类型，其中IncX3最为普遍。在鉴定出的245种ARGs中，[此处原文缺失部分信息]、[此处原文缺失部分信息]和[此处原文缺失部分信息]占主导地位。系统发育分析表明，这些TARPs源自通常定殖于人类黏膜的细菌。ICU空气中的TARPs可能对ARGs的传播和抗生素耐药性的传递有显著贡献。
