Globally Abundant “ <i>Candidatus</i> Udaeobacter” Benefits from Release of Antibiotics in Soil and Potentially Performs Trace Gas Scavenging
Inka M. Willms, Anina Yasmin Rudolph, Isabell Göschel, Simon H. Bolz, Dominik Schneider, Caterina Penone, Anja Poehlein, Ingo Schöning, Heiko Nacke
Abstract
Soil bacteria have been investigated for more than a century, but one of the most dominant terrestrial groups on Earth, “ Candidatus Udaeobacter,” remains elusive and largely unexplored. Its natural habitat is considered a major reservoir of antibiotics, which directly or indirectly impact phylogenetically diverse microorganisms. Here, we found that “ Ca. Udaeobacter” representatives exhibit multidrug resistance and not only evade harmful effects of antimicrobials but even benefit from antibiotic pressure in soil. Therefore, “ Ca. Udaeobacter” evidently affects the composition of soil resistomes worldwide and might represent a winner of rising environmental pollution with antimicrobials. In addition, our study indicates that “ Ca. Udaeobacter” representatives utilize H 2 and thereby contribute to global hydrogen cycling. The here-reported findings provide insights into elementary lifestyle features of “ Ca. Udaeobacter,” potentially contributing to its successful global dissemination.