Effects of Cigarette-Derived Compounds on the Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance in Artificial Human Lung Sputum Medium, Simulated Environmental Media, and Wastewater

The study investigates the impact of cigarette smoke, ashes, and filters on the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in human lung and environmental microbiomes. It found that exposure to cigarette smoke condensate and cigarette ash leachate increased transfer rates of a multidrug-resistance-encoding plasmid in artificial lung sputum medium, leading to higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The study also found that used cigarette filters were colonized by microbial communities enriched with potential human pathogens and AMR. The findings suggest that cigarette-derived compounds can promote the spread of AMR, highlighting the direct and indirect adverse effects of tobacco consumption.