The influence of humic substances on environmental behavior of antibiotic resistance genes: A mini-review
Bomin Fu, Chenyang Yu, Jing Sun, Hongtao Wang, Yasuhisa Adachi
Abstract
The global antibiotic resistance pollution caused by antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has led to serious harm to the ecological environment and human beings. As a type of organic matter that commonly exists in the environment, humic substances (HS) may affect the fate of contaminants. Based on the high possibility of ARGs coexisting with HS in the environment, it is necessary to understand the influence of HS on environmental behavior of ARGs. This article reviews the impact of HS on environmental behavior of ARGs, and finds that the topic has received increasing attention by scientometric analysis using CiteSpace software. The environmental behavior of ARGs is not only affected by HS and its by-products, but also frequently implicated through antibiotics, heavy metals and particles in various environments, such as wastewater, activated sludge and soil. The main mechanisms by which HS affects the ARGs evolution include electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, non-specific van der Waals interactions, and microbial community alterations. Finally, future research directions are proposed to help refine the theoretical basis for the interaction between HS and ARGs, and can contribute to the prevention and control of ARGs pollution in practical applications.