Beyond borders: plasmids drive a shared antibiotic resistome in European urban water systems.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Urban wastewater systems (UWSs) act as reservoirs and conduits for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with plasmids playing a central role in their spread. Despite their significance, the diversity and persistence of plasmids in UWSs remain underexplored.

Results

This study applies a multi-omics approach, including metagenomic and direct plasmidome sequencing, high-throughput qPCR array, and whole genome sequencing of plasmid isolates, to comprehensively profile the microbial plasmidome and resistome on 78 samples across UWSs in Denmark, Spain, and the UK. We successfully uncovered an extensive plasmid and ARG diversity that could not be fully captured by a single method, especially identified 78,574 plasmids, including 20,925 plasmids previo

SUBMITTER: He W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12825282 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature