November 20, 2022
Despite being a severe threat to human health, the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes or ARGs in soil and their interactions with ecological factors, such as climate and land use, are poorly understood globally. An OHT-affiliated researcher and collaborators analyzed 1,088 metagenomic soil samples globally and generated a map of the 558 ARGs identified from these samples. The abundance of ARGs in agricultural habitats was higher than that in non-agricultural habitats. Clinical pathogens and gut microorganisms, which mediated the control of climatic and anthropogenic factors for ARGs, carried most of the soil ARGs.
Read the article in Science Advances, here.
