Monitoring indicator genes to assess antimicrobial resistance contamination in phytoplankton and zooplankton communities from the English Channel and the North Sea.

ABSTRACT: Phytoplankton and zooplankton play a crucial role in marine ecosystems as the basis of the food webs but are also vulnerable to environmental pollutants. Among emerging pollutants, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health problem encountered in all environmental compartments. However, the role of planktonic communities in its dissemination within the marine environment remains largely unexplored. In this study, we monitored four genes proposed as AMR indicators (tetA, bla_TEM, sul1, and intI1) in phytoplankton and zooplankton samples collected in the English Channel and the North Sea. The indicator gene abundance was mapped to identify the potential sources of contamination. Correlation was assessed with environmental parameters to explore the

SUBMITTER: Bourdonnais E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10882542 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature