Role of Trace Elements in Antimicrobial Resistance Dynamics

Agricultural systems increasingly accumulate nonantibiotic pollutants—such as metals from fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste, as well as engineered nanoparticles—that exert long-term selective pressure on soil and aquatic microbiomes. These stressors reshape microbial communities and accelerate the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes via conjugation, transformation, transduction and membrane-vesicle transport. Notably, sub-lethal nanoparticle exposure can even drive “nano-resistance” and co-select for AMR. By synthesizing these mechanisms, the study underscores the need to re-evaluate agricultural pollution management, including setting stricter limits for metal contamination and regulating nano-agrochemicals, to curb the environmental drivers that fuel antimicrobial resistance.