Exploring the Ecological Impacts of Herbicides on Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Microbial Communities.

ABSTRACT: The widespread application of herbicides has profound ecological consequences, particularly regarding the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and microbial communities. In this study, we analyzed herbicide-related metagenomic data to assess the impact of herbicide exposure on ARGs and microbial populations. Our results demonstrate that herbicide application significantly increased the abundance of ARGs, particularly those associated with multidrug resistance, sulfonamides, and bacitracin, with notable increases in subtypes such as bacA and sul1. Microbial community analyses revealed a dominance of Pseudomonadota and Actinomycetota, along with a significant down-regulation of genera like Fibrisoma, Gilsonvirus, Limnobacter, and Wilnyeviru

SUBMITTER: Zhao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12028981 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature