Environmental microbiome diversity and stability is a barrier to antimicrobial resistance gene accumulation

Antimicrobial resistant bacteria and genes can enter new habitats if they can overcome the habitat’s biotic resilience. As biodiversity increases, microbial diversity can act as a barrier against antimicrobial resistance. A pan-European study found that higher diversity negatively correlates with the abundance of ARGs in soils, while dynamic riverbeds show no effect. This suggests that microbiome diversity can help evolve long-term resilience against immigration.