Antibiotic resistance genes and water temperature

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) had increasingly health threat to humans. Currently, climate warming as another concerning environmental issue could multiplies the threat of ARGs. However, how ARGs and even some high-risk ARGs changed in gradually warming water was still poorly explored. Here, we use metagenomic sequencing to explore how gradually elevated temperature (23?, 26?, 29?, 32?, 35?) influence the diversity and abundance of the ARGs and microbe in natural water. Total 29 ARG types including 679 subtypes were detected in our water samples. Temperature significantly elevated the ARG abundance but decreased the diversity. Total 21 high risk ARGs (13 Rank I ARGs and 8 Rank II ARGs) were sifting from our study, the abundance of three Rank I ARGs (tetM, mecA and bacA) and one Rank II ARG (tetW) significantly increased with water temperature elevated. Notably, temperature may predict approximately 21% of ARGs, Notably, temperature may predict approximately 18.85% of ARGs, while most other ARGs were insensitive to temperature. For each increment of 1? in water temperature, the ARG abundance raised 2133 TPM abundance. Multidrug ARGs contributed the largest abundance raise. Our study reveals the predictability and health risks of resistome to temperature increase, providing a suitable approach to track the fate and spread of ARGs in natural water under climate warming.