Tracking reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes in microbiota using metagenomic Hi-C

This study aimed at tracking reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes in a complex environmental sample using metagenomic Hi-C. A pooled sample of macerated tissues from clinical bovine digital dermatitis lesions was used for this purpose. Genes conferring resistance to tetracycline and other antibiotics commonly used on dairy farms were the targets. Mapping of Hi-C sequences to shotgun sequences resulted in identification of the carriers of these resistance genes. Given that most of the microorganisms involved in the pathogenesis of digital dermatitis are difficult to culture, studying about antimicrobial resistance among them is hardly possible using the conventional methods. However, the novel metagenomic Hi-C, which crosslinks chromosomal and non-chromosomal DNAs together in vivo, has made possible detecting the resistome with their respective bacterial hosts. Tracking reservoirs of resistance genes in a complex microbial community has an immense contribution toward understanding the distribution and transmission of resistance determinants in environments.