Dietary zinc supplementation inhibits bacterial plasmid conjugation in vitro by regulating plasmid replication (rep) and transfer (tra) genes

A study examining the impact of dietary zinc supplements on the incidence of plasmid conjugation in the human gut revealed a significant reduction in donors, recipients, and transconjugant populations in conjugations supplemented with zinc. The study also found a significant reduction in log conjugation efficiency in zinc-treated reactions. The results showed upregulation of plasmid replication initiation genes and downregulation of conjugal propilin genes. This highlights the potential impact of zinc supplements on the transfer of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in bacteria.