Abstract
To understand the process by which antibiotic resistance genes are acquired by human pathogens, we functionally characterized the resistance reservoir in the microbial flora of healthy individuals. Most of the resistance genes we identified using culture-independent sampling have not been previously identified and are evolutionarily distant from known resistance genes. By contrast, nearly half of the resistance genes we identified in cultured aerobic gut isolates (a small subset of the gut microbiome) are identical to resistance genes harbored by major pathogens. The immense diversity of resistance genes in the human microbiome could contribute to future emergence of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
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Antiporters / genetics
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Antiporters / metabolism
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Bacteria / drug effects
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Bacteria / genetics*
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Bacteria / isolation & purification
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Bacteria, Aerobic / classification
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Bacteria, Aerobic / drug effects
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Bacteria, Aerobic / genetics*
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Bacteria, Aerobic / isolation & purification
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Bacterial Proteins / genetics
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Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
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Digestive System / microbiology*
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Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics*
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Feces / microbiology
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Genes, Bacterial*
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Humans
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Metagenome*
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Microbial Sensitivity Tests
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Phylogeny
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Proteobacteria / classification
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Proteobacteria / drug effects
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Proteobacteria / genetics
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Proteobacteria / isolation & purification
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Saliva / microbiology
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Transposases / genetics
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Transposases / metabolism
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beta-Lactamases / genetics
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beta-Lactamases / metabolism
Substances
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Anti-Bacterial Agents
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Antiporters
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Bacterial Proteins
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tetA protein, Bacteria
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Transposases
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beta-Lactamases