Co-contamination of antimony and arsenic reshapes resistome, virulome, and virome in poultry feces near the world's largest antimony mine.
Article
Yin, Zhipeng, Zhang, Yuzhu, Song, Shanjun et al. (2026). Co-contamination of antimony and arsenic reshapes resistome, virulome, and virome in poultry feces near the world's largest antimony mine.
. Environmental Pollution, 406 128684. 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128684
Yin, Zhipeng, Zhang, Yuzhu, Song, Shanjun et al. (2026). Co-contamination of antimony and arsenic reshapes resistome, virulome, and virome in poultry feces near the world's largest antimony mine.
. Environmental Pollution, 406 128684. 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128684
The poultry microbiome and virome are integral to the One Health framework, with significant implications for ecosystem and human health, but their responses to arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) exposure remain overlooked. Here, we conducted a comprehensive metagenomic characterization of the metal resistome, antibiotic resistome, virulome, and virome in poultry feces collected from the world's largest antimony mining area. We found that As and Sb co-contamination was significantly associated with elevated resistance and virulence. The abundance of metal resistance genes (MRGs) was 1.8-fold higher in the high-Sb group than in the low-Sb group (15,022.27 ± 3538.47 vs 8370.24 ± 4502.07 TPM, P = 0.008), with arsR, arsB, and arsC dominating the MRG profiles. Similarly, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) abundance was 1.6-fold higher in the high-Sb group than in the low-Sb group (7251.00 ± 1844.34 vs 4478.95 ± 2302.69 TPM, P = 0.026), with multidrug resistance genes being the predominant class (8.09% - 58.48%). Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) analysis and contig analysis suggest co-selection of MRGs, ARGs, and virulence factor genes (VFGs). We identified 100,819 viral contigs clustered into 91,004 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs), revealing a highly diverse viral community. Members of Enterobacteriaceae (e.g., Klebsiella) and Enterococcaceae (i.e., Enterococcus) were identified as key drivers mediating resistance and virulence dynamics, acting as resistome supercarriers, opportunistic pathogens, and viral hosts. These findings suggest that As-Sb co-contamination is an overlooked but potentially important driver of poultry antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity, and highlight potential ecological and public health risks in mining-impacted poultry-associated environments.
