Erythromycin fermentation residue exposure induces a short-term wave of antibiotic resistance in a soil-lettuce system

The pattern of antibiotic resistance assembly and their unclear transfer in a soil-lettuce system render the treated erythromycin fermentation residue (EFR) land application risky. Herein, the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile gene elements, and microbial communities were examined under erythromycin stress at three stages of lettuce growth. Erythromycin exhibited degradation rates of 99.4 % in soils for 60 d, with little uptake in the seedling tissues, reaching a 0.11–0.71 bioconcentration factor range. The EFR application rate must be limited <1 % to avoid human exposure risk. The diversity, biotic networks complexity, and edaphic ARG abundances of the rhizospheric microbial communities increased at the early stage, but returned to the control levels at the mature stage. The Planomicrobium and Pseudomonas bacterial genera were important biotic factors for erythromycin variation. Thirty-three MLSB genes (macrolide, lincosamide, and streptogramin B) conferring resistance to erythromycin were detected in soil, but only two endophytic ARGs (mphA-01 and ermX) were identified, with members of the Microvirga genus being the potential hosts. Partial least-squares path modeling suggested that erythromycin concentration was the main factor for endophytic ARGs evolution. This study highlighted the leaf endophytic ARG emergence and potential exposure human risks majorly caused by the drug traces in antibiotic fermentation residues.