The composting process has been shown to effectively reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animal manure, but its influence on surrounding airborne AMR remains unknown, particularly with regard to human-pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria (HPARB). In this study, air and paired compost samples were collected from a full-scale composting facility, and the antibiotic resistome, microbiome, and HPARB were systematically analyzed in both two habitats using metagenomic analysis. Current result uncovered the profiles of HPARB in air, showing that significantly more airborne HPARB were assembled than that in compost samples. Airborne pathogens harbored an increased abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) in comparison with compost-borne HPARB. The core antibiotic resistome represents 18.58% of overall ARG subtypes, contributing to 86.31% of ARG abundance. A higher number of enriched core ARGs (2.16- to 13.36-times higher), including mexF, tetW, and vanS, were observed in air samples compared to compost samples. As an important human pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was prevalent in the air and carried more ARG (6) and VFG (130) subtypes than those in compost. A significantly higher risk score was detected for airborne AMR in the composting facility compared to that in hospital and urban environments. This study revealed the enhanced airborne HPARB through comparative experiments between air and composting habitats. It highlighted the unrecognized AMR risks associated with air in composting site and provided a scientific basis for accurately assessing health outcomes caused by occupational exposure.

中文翻译：

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宏基因组分析破译堆肥设施中具有增强抗菌素耐药性和毒力因子的空气传播病原体

堆肥过程已被证明可以有效降低动物粪便中的抗菌素耐药性 （AMR），但其对周围空气中的 AMR 的影响仍然未知，特别是关于人类致病性抗生素耐药性细菌 （HPARB）。在这项研究中，从全尺寸堆肥设施收集空气和配对堆肥样品，并使用宏基因组分析在两个栖息地系统分析抗生素耐药组、微生物组和 HPARB。目前的结果揭示了 HPARB 在空气中的概况，表明空气中的 HPARB 组装量明显多于堆肥样品中的 HPARB。与堆肥传播的 HPARB 相比，空气传播的病原体携带的抗生素抗性基因 （ARG） 和毒力因子基因 （VFG） 的丰度和多样性增加。核心抗生素耐药组占总 ARG 亚型的 18.58%，占 ARG 丰度的 86.31%。与堆肥样品相比，在空气样品中观察到更多富含核心的 ARG（高 2.16 至 13.36 倍），包括 mexF、tetW 和 vanS。结核分枝杆菌作为一种重要的人类病原体，在空气中普遍存在，并且携带比堆肥更多的 ARG （6） 和 VFG （130） 亚型。与医院和城市环境中相比，在堆肥设施中检测到空气传播的 AMR 风险评分明显更高。本研究通过空气和堆肥栖息地之间的比较实验揭示了增强的空气传播 HPARB。它强调了与堆肥场空气相关的未被认识的 AMR 风险，并为准确评估职业暴露引起的健康结果提供了科学依据。