Soils with long-term mercury contamination may also have more bacteria that can resist antibiotics, because the same mechanisms that help with mercury resistance might also help with antibiotic resistance.
Scientific Claim
Long-term mercury exposure in contaminated soils may co-select for antibiotic resistance genes in native microbial communities.
Source Excerpt
“Despite the suitability of such organisms for mercury bioremediation, we provide caution because long-term exposure to heavy metals can also promote recruitment of antimicrobial resistance genes (AMR) in the native microbiota. As an example, in Arthrobacter sp. H-02–3, we identified a suite of genes conferring resistance not only to mercury (e.g., merA, merB) but also to other heavy metals and multiple antibiotics.”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting Studies
A survey of bacterial and fungal community structure and functions in two long-term metalliferous soil habitats
The study identified co-occurrence of mercury resistance genes and antibiotic resistance genes in specific strains isolated from contaminated sites, suggesting potential co-selection.