top of page

DISTRIBUTION OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE GENES IN THE ENVIRONMENT:

THE ROLE OF MINERAL FACILITATED HORIZONTAL GENE TRANSFER

Combining recent research across disciplines, I see evidence that minerals hold a high and unrecognized potential for enhancing the distribution of the ARg in the environment. Adsorption of ARg to minerals significantly increases the ARg’s lifetime and facilitates their distribution by sedimentary transport processes. In addition, minerals also serve as a) sites for horizontal gene transfer (HGT), b) platforms for microbial growth and, hence 3) act as hot spots for propagation of adsorbed ARg to other microbes. However, some minerals and ARg are bound more strongly than others and various bacteria have different affinities toward various minerals. Those variations in affinity are poorly quantified but vital for predicting the distribution of ARg in the environment.

bug colony.png

Bacterial colony formation.

Image by Lisselotte Jauffred (collaborator from NBI)

The spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARg) is a worldwide health risk1 and is no longer only a clinical issue. Vast reservoirs of ARg are found in natural environments2–4 such as soils, sediments and oceans. The emergence and release of ARg to the environment is in particular caused by extended use of antibiotics in farming, e.g. where the genes dissipate from the manure.5 Once in the environment, the ARg are surprisingly rapidly propagated. It is well known that the ARg are distributed to neighbour bacteria through processes of both cell sharing or through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) where one species acquirer resistance from another.6,7 Most HGT responsible for the spread of ARg are assumed to be through direct microbe-microbe contact. However, I find that the outcome of non-contact transfer is grossly underestimated. In the HGT mechanism called “Transformation”, free ARg in suspension or adsorbed to a mineral can be picked up and incorporated into non-related organisms. Considering that free DNA only can survive for a few weeks in sea- and freshwater environments,8–10 any HGT from free DNA can rightly be assumed to be local, but if the DNA gets adsorbed to a mineral, it can survive for several hundred thousands of years.11–14 If this also holds for ARg, then minerals offer a potent mechanism for distributing ARg through our environments my means of sedimentary processes.

KKS

Search

- Nov 10, 2023

Science - Art talk #2:

Death and Life in Mud, a Split-Second over 2 Million Years

A conversation between me and Artist Rikke Luther. We met at the Astrid Noacks Atelier and explored and discussed our views, our overlap and questions arising from our different perspectives. The atelier setup and atmosphere nicely induced interaction with the audience slowly transforming the conversation into engaged discussions facilitated by a very curious audience. Arthub produced podcast in underway.

If in Copenhagen go explore Rikkes exhibition. It is on until December 3rd. 2023.

CONTEXT

Rikke and I are exploring the interface between ART and SCIENCT through conversation rooting in our distinct and overlapping concepts of processes. We explore how artistic perspectives on mud influence society and how mud and geologic processes across deep time have relations to life and evolution.

Check out Rikkes page, and here is a c/p of one of Rikkes wonderfully thought provoking context boards found on her webpage

Recent Posts

Application of interfacial geochemistry as a tool to advance SedaDNA research

International day for women and girls in science

Meet our newly funded interdisciplinary research project: Importance of extracellular DNA for evolution: a missing link?

bottom of page