Unraveling the diversity and dissemination dynamics of antimicrobial resistance genes in Enterobacteriaceae plasmids across diverse ecosystems.

This article focuses on the investigation of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in plasmids of Enterobacteriaceae from diverse ecosystems including soil, sewage, and feces of food-producing animals and humans. Analysis of 420 plasmids from 24 Enterobacteriaceae species revealed 1,064 ARGs conferring resistance to 15 antibiotic classes, predominantly aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines, with many ARGs shared across ecosystems and showing high sequence conservation. Approximately 62% of plasmids carrying ARGs were potentially transferable, mostly conjugative, and phylogenetic analysis based on Mob relaxase proteins suggested a common evolutionary origin of these plasmids across bacterial genera and environments. The study underscores the widespread distribution and mobility of multidrug resistance determinants in Enterobacteriaceae plasmids, highlighting their role in antimicrobial resistance dissemination within a One Health framework.