New Publication out !

Surveillance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has been increasingly conducted in environmental sectors to complement the surveys in human and animal sectors under the “One-Health” framework. However, there are substantial challenges in comparing and synthesizing the results of multiple studies that employ different test methods and approaches in bioinformatic analysis. In this article, we consider the commonly used quantification units (ARG copy per cell, ARG copy per genome, ARG density, ARG copy per 16S rRNA gene, RPKM, coverage, PPM, etc.) for profiling ARGs and suggest a universal unit (ARG copy per cell) for reporting such biological measurements of samples and improving the comparability of different surveillance efforts.

Yin X, Chen X, Jiang XT, Yang Y, Li B, Shum MHH, Lam TTJ, Leung GM, Rose J, Sanchez-Cid C, Vogel TM, Walsh F, Berendonk TU, Midega J, Uchea C, Frigon C, Wright GD, Bezuidenhout C, Picão RC, Ahammad SZ, Nielsen PH, Hugenholtz P, Ashbolt NJ, Corno G, Fatta-Kassinos D, Bürgmann H, Schmitt H, Cha CJ, Pruden A, Smalla K, Cytryn E, Zhang Y, Yang M, Zhu YG, Dechesne A, Smets BF, Graham DW, Gillings MR, Gaze WH, Manaia CM, van Loosdrecht MCM, Alvarez PJJ, Blaser MJ, Tiedje JM, Topp E, Zhang T (2023) Toward a Universal Unit for Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Environmental Samples, Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00159

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