Spread of plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance genes in soil-lettuce-snail food chain

Fertilization can change the composition of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs) and their host bacteria in agricultural fields, while complex microbial activities help ARGs into crops and transmit them to humans through agricultural products.Therefore, this study constructed a farmland food chain with soil-lettuce-snail as a typical structure, added genetically engineered Pseudomonas fluorescens containing multidrug-resistant plasmid RP4 to track its spread in the farmland food chain, and used different fertilization methods to explore its influence on the spread and diffusion of ARGs and intl1 in the farmland food chain. It was found that exogenous Pseudomonas can enter plants from soil and pass into snails' intestines, and there is horizontal gene transfer phenomenon of RP4 plasmid in bacteria. At different interfaces of the constructed food chain, the addition of exogenous drug-resistant bacteria had different effects on the total abundance of ARGs and intl1. Fertilization, especially manure, not only promoted the spread of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the transfer of RP4 plasmid levels, but also significantly increased the total abundance of ARGs and intl1 at all interfaces of the constructed food chain. The main ARGs host bacteria in the constructed food chain include Proteobacteria, Bacteroides, and Firmicutes, while Flavobacterium of Bacteroides is the unique potential host bacteria of RP4 plasmid. In conclusion, this study provides a reference for the risk assessment of ARGs transmitted to the human body through the food chain, and has important practical significance to reduce the antibiotic resistance contamination of agricultural products and ensure the safety of vegetable basket. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.