Air path of antimicrobial resistance related genes from layer farms: Emission inventory, atmospheric transport, and human exposure

Animal husbandry is a significant contributor to increased environmental antimicrobial resistance (AMR), but little is known regarding the dissemination of AMR from animal farms via airborne transmission. Here, we connected the air path of AMR related genes tailored to layer poultry farms from source of escape to end of sedimentation. The emission inventories of 8 AMR related genes from all 163-layer poultry farms around Beijing city were quantified. We developed the atmospheric transport model with a gene degradation module to estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of airborne AMR, and also assessed their corresponding regional exposure and sedimentation. Total emissions of 16 S rDNA and AMR related genes from layer houses ranged from 10(15) to 10(16) copies year(-1). Those layer-sourced genes contributed 1-14.6% of antimicrobial resistant genes, 4.9% of Staph-ylococcus spp. and 2.2% of CintI1 to the corresponding annual genetic burden of Beijing's urban air. The average exposure of the Beijing residents to layer-sourced airborne 16 S rDNA was 1.39 x 104 copies year(-1) person(-1), approximately 87% of them would be deposited in the upper respiratory tract. The findings highlight that air medium represents an important dissemination pathway of animal-sourced genes to AMR burden in humans and environment.

Automated summary

Animal husbandry is a significant contributor to increased environmental antimicrobial resistance. This study found that layer poultry farms contribute to the airborne transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes in Beijing's urban air. The exposure to these genes may have health implications for residents.