None declared.Conflicts of interestAntibiotic resistance has grown into a major public health threat. In this study, we reveal predation by protists as an overlooked driver of antibiotic resistance dissemination in the soil microbiome. While previous studies have primarily focused on the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes, our work sheds light on the pivotal role of soil protists in shaping antibiotic resistance dynamics. Using a combination of metagenomics and controlled experiments in this study, we demonstrate that protists cause an increase in antibiotic resistance. We mechanistically link this increase to a fostering of antimicrobial activity in the microbiome. Protist predation gives a competitive edge to bacteria capable of producing antagonistic secondary metabolites, which secondary metabolites promote in turn antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study provides insights into the complex interplay between protists and soil microbiomes in regulating antibiotic resistance dynamics. This study highlights the importance of top-down control on the spread of antibiotic resistance and directly connects it to cross-kingdom interactions within the microbiome. Managing protist communities may become an important tool to control outbreaks of antibiotic resistance in the environment.

中文翻译：

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原生生物捕食通过拮抗微生物组相互作用促进抗菌素耐药性传播


没有任何声明。利益冲突抗生素耐药性已发展成为主要的公共卫生威胁。在这项研究中，我们揭示了原生生物的捕食是土壤微生物组中抗生素耐药性传播的一个被忽视的驱动因素。虽然之前的研究主要集中在抗生素抗性基因的分布上，但我们的工作揭示了土壤原生生物在塑造抗生素抗性动态方面的关键作用。在这项研究中，我们结合宏基因组学和对照实验，证明原生生物会导致抗生素耐药性增加。我们从机制上将这种增加与微生物组抗菌活性的增强联系起来。原生生物捕食为能够产生拮抗性次级代谢产物的细菌提供了竞争优势，而次级代谢产物反过来又促进了抗生素耐药性细菌。这项研究提供了对原生生物和土壤微生物组在调节抗生素耐药性动态方面复杂相互作用的见解。这项研究强调了自上而下控制抗生素耐药性传播的重要性，并将其与微生物组内的跨界相互作用直接联系起来。管理原生生物群落可能成为控制环境中抗生素耐药性爆发的重要工具。