Origin, Distribution, and Determinants of Antibiotic Resistance in Natural Environments

Antibiotic resistance (AR) and its global spread have become an international hot topic. It is now recognized that the natural environments such as soils and waters have been "polluted" by AR to different degrees, and AR has been detected even in remote areas without antibiotic application history. Therefore, AR has posed a serious threat to ecosystem, medical field, and public health. Identifying the origin, distribution, and determinants of AR is the basis for understanding the evolution and diffusion of AR in natural environments, and provides critical information for developing new antibiotics. Here, we summarize latest research advances from three aspects of AR and suggest potential directions for future study.