Key Findings

Artificial sweeteners enhance the horizontal transfer of extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through natural transformation in Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1, Bacillus subtilis, and mice fecal microbiome. The study identifies that the plasmid pWH1266, carrying blaTEM-1 and tetA, is efficiently taken up by competent cells, leading to increased resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline.