There is growing concern about the transfer of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in airborne particulate matter. In this study, we investigated the effects of various types of carbonaceous particulate matter (CPM) on the transfer of ARGs in vitro. The results showed that CPM promoted the transfer of ARGs, which was related to the concentration and particle size. Compared with the control group, the transfer frequency was 95.5, 74.7, 65.4, 14.7, and 3.8 times higher in G (graphene), CB (carbon black), NGP (nanographite powder), GP1.6 (graphite powder 1.6 micron), and GP45 (graphite powder 45 micron) groups, respectively. Moreover, the transfer frequency gradually increased with the increase in CPM concentration, while there was a negative relationship between the CPM particle size and conjugative transfer frequency. In addition, the results showed that CPM could promote the transfer of ARGs by increasing ROS, as well as activating the SOS response and expression of conjugative transfer-related genes (trbBp, trfAp, korA, kroB, and trbA). These findings are indicative of the potential risk of CPM for the transfer of ARGs in the environment, enriching our understanding of environmental pollution and further raising awareness of environmental protection.

中文翻译：

---

碳质颗粒物促进抗生素抗性基因的水平转移

人们越来越关注空气中颗粒物中抗生素抗性细菌（ARB）和抗生素抗性基因（ARG）的转移。在这项研究中，我们研究了各种类型的碳质颗粒物（CPM）对ARG体外转移的影响。结果表明，CPM促进了ARGs的转移，且与浓度和粒径有关。与对照组相比，G（石墨烯）、CB（炭黑）、NGP（纳米石墨粉）、GP1.6（1.6微米石墨粉）、和 GP45（石墨粉 45 微米）组。此外，随着CPM浓度的增加，转移频率逐渐增加，而CPM粒径与共轭转移频率之间存在负相关关系。此外，结果表明，CPM 可以通过增加 ROS 以及激活 SOS 反应和接合转移相关基因（trbBp、trfAp、korA、kroB和trbA）的表达来促进 ARG 的转移。这些发现表明了CPM对环境中ARGs转移的潜在风险，丰富了我们对环境污染的认识，进一步提高了环境保护意识。