Everyday levels of antibiotics in the environment may accelerate the global spread of resistance, new study finds

Antibiotic resistance is widely recognized as one of the most urgent public health challenges of the twenty first century. Now, a new study shows that even very small amounts of antibiotics that commonly appear in soil, rivers, wastewater, and agricultural runoff may significantly accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria.

The research, published in Biocontaminant, investigates how four typical antibiotics found in the environment influence both vertical and horizontal gene transfer, the two major pathways through which bacteria pass on resistance. The team examined tetracycline, ampicillin, kanamycin, and streptomycin at concentrations ranging from extremely low environmental levels to sub inhibitory levels. These concentrations are commonly detected in rivers, farmland soil, livestock operations, and hospital wastewater.

The scientists established three experimental models to capture how resistance spreads. The first model focused on vertical gene transfer, which refers to the passage of genes from parent cells to their progeny. The other two models examined horizontal gene transfer, including conjugation between different bacterial strains and transformation, in which bacteria absorb free DNA from their surroundings.

The results reveal that environmentally relevant antibiotic concentrations can stabilize existing resistance and also promote the development of new resistance traits. In the vertical gene transfer experiments, three antibiotic types apart from tetracycline helped resistant bacteria maintain stable resistance over ten days of exposure. The team found that some strains even developed cross resistance to additional antibiotics. Mathematical simulations supported the experimental results and predicted that resistant bacterial populations would continue to grow and persist over longer timescales.

The effects on horizontal gene transfer were even more striking. Low concentrations of antibiotics, as low as 0.005 mg per liter, significantly boosted both the frequency and efficiency of conjugation between bacterial strains. Depending on the antibiotic, the number of transconjugants increased by more than five times. Similar enhancements were observed in transformation experiments, where the number of bacteria that took up external resistance carrying plasmids rose by up to two point seven times.

To understand the underlying biological mechanisms, the researchers measured changes in reactive oxygen species, cell membrane permeability, energy levels, and gene expression. They found that low dose antibiotics increased oxidative stress and altered membrane structures in ways that made cells more receptive to exchanging genetic material. The antibiotics also activated genes involved in stress response, membrane transport, and DNA repair, which are key regulators of gene transfer. At the same time, increases in cellular ATP provided additional energy for genetic exchange processes.

Taken together, the findings suggest that even minimal antibiotic contamination may amplify the spread of antibiotic resistance in natural and engineered ecosystems. The study highlights the importance of improving antibiotic stewardship, controlling emissions into the environment, and re evaluating wastewater treatment practices.

The authors note that their results underscore the need for long term monitoring of antibiotic residues in agricultural, clinical, and urban settings. They also recommend incorporating environmentally relevant antibiotic concentrations into future microbial risk assessments. As antibiotic resistance continues to threaten global health, understanding how resistance genes spread outside clinical environments is essential for developing effective mitigation strategies.

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Journal reference: Wang Y, Liu Y, Yang J, Geng M, Jia H, et al. 2025. Antibiotics at environmentally relevant concentrations can promote the dissemination of antibiotic resistance via both vertical and horizontal gene transfer. Biocontaminant 1: e005 

https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/biocontam-0025-0005 

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About Biocontaminant:
Biocontaminant is a multidisciplinary platform dedicated to advancing fundamental and applied research on biological contaminants across diverse environments and systems. The journal serves as an innovative, efficient, and professional forum for global researchers to disseminate findings in this rapidly evolving field.

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