{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T03:47:22Z","timestamp":1792036042264,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":102,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780358400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780358400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005278","name":"Universidad de Antioquia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005278","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Instituto amaz\u00f3nico de Investigaciones cient\u00edficas SINCHI","award":["BPIN202300000000285"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BPIN202300000000285"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Microbiol Spectr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Mercury (Hg) pollution from artisanal gold mining represents a serious environmental and public health problem, especially in the Amazon Basin. Although mercury-resistant bacteria provide significant detoxification potential, their deployment needs genomic screening to assess both ecological lifestyle and biosafety. In this study, we analyzed the genomes of two highly mercury-resistant strains,\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Pseudomonas paracarnis<\/jats:italic>\n                      TP30 and\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Burkholderia contaminans<\/jats:italic>\n                      TR100, isolated from Hg-contaminated sediments in the Colombian Amazon. Both genomes contain broad-spectrum\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">mer<\/jats:italic>\n                      operons flanked by mobile genetic elements but differ in structure: TP30 encodes phage-associated mobility genes within a chromosomal\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">mer<\/jats:italic>\n                      locus, while TR100 has multiple metal resistance genes (MRGs) and a plasmid-borne\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">mer<\/jats:italic>\n                      operon embedded in a transposon. Despite the widespread presence of MRGs, both genomes show remarkably low levels of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which contrasts with typical ARG\u2013MRG co-selection patterns. Lifestyle prediction and gene-content analysis show that TP30 is a soil-adapted, environmentally persistent strain. At the same time, TR100, despite exhibiting a mixed ecological signal typical of the\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Burkholderia cepacia<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex, lacks key virulence factors and displays features consistent with a non-pathogenic lifestyle. Our genomic analyses indicate that TP30 and TR100 harbor desirable traits for mercury bioremediation, including broad-spectrum Hg resistance, low antibiotic resistance gene content, and the absence of major pathogenicity markers, making them promising candidates for further evaluation under controlled conditions.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human health worldwide, particularly in vulnerable regions like the Amazon. Robust mercury-resistant bacteria offer a sustainable solution for detoxifying contaminated environments, but their potential application requires careful genomic assessment to minimize biosafety risks. This study integrates comparative genomics, resistance profiling, and lifestyle prediction to evaluate two highly mercury-resistant bacterial isolates from mining sediments. We show that these strains harbor broad-spectrum mercury resistance genes with low antibiotic resistance burdens and lack key virulence markers, supporting their suitability as environmentally adapted candidates. By coupling metal detoxification potential with genomic screening, our work highlights a framework for identifying promising, high-performance candidates for bioremediation, advancing microbiological solutions to address metal pollution in impacted ecosystems.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.03127-25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T11:18:31Z","timestamp":1777547911000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Genome-based insights into metal co-resistance in Amazonian mercury-resistant bacteria: ecological lifestyle and biosafety implications for bioremediation"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6794-559X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Maria Camila","family":"Escobar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04dmckt32","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Laboratorio de Biotecnolog\u00eda y Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, Instituto Amaz\u00f3nico de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas SINCHI","place":["Bogot\u00e1, Colombia"]},{"name":"Escuela de Microbiolog\u00eda, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA","place":["Medell\u00edn, Colombia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juan Pablo","family":"Ni\u00f1o-Garcia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Microbiolog\u00eda, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA","place":["Medell\u00edn, Colombia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4573-6113","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alejandro","family":"Acosta-Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02sqgkj21","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda, Universidad de La Sabana","place":["Ch\u00eda, Colombia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carolina","family":"D\u00edaz-C\u00e1rdenas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04dmckt32","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Laboratorio de Biotecnolog\u00eda y Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, Instituto Amaz\u00f3nico de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas SINCHI","place":["Bogot\u00e1, Colombia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yaneth","family":"Vasquez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01kyyzm82","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Convergence Science and Technology Cluster, Universidad Central","place":["Bogot\u00e1, Colombia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6289-3348","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Silvia","family":"Marques","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00drcz023","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Estaci\u00f3n Experimental del Zaid\u00edn, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas","place":["Granada, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6707-7155","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Gladys In\u00e9s","family":"Cardona","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04dmckt32","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Laboratorio de Biotecnolog\u00eda y Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos, Instituto Amaz\u00f3nico de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas SINCHI","place":["Bogot\u00e1, Colombia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"235","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/10643389.2019.1629793"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","unstructured":"UNEP. 2020. Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM). Available from: https:\/\/www.unep.org\/globalmercurypartnership\/what-we-do\/artisanal-and-small-scale-gold-mining-asgm"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/bs.aambs.2022.03.001"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_5_2","first-page":"15","article-title":"Characterization, identification and seasonal evaluation of microbes in mercury contaminated soils","volume":"1","author":"Egbo TE","year":"2017","unstructured":"Egbo TE, Dickson JO, Miller C, Johs A, Sanders CA, Robertson BK. 2017. Characterization, identification and seasonal evaluation of microbes in mercury contaminated soils. Front Sci Technol Eng Math 1:15\u201326.","journal-title":"Front Sci Technol Eng Math"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/su151813292"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ieam.4313"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2012.00349"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00253-018-8847-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.enmm.2020.100283"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/femsre\/fuae017"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s44259-024-00026-7"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1039\/c9em00606k"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/genes13112149"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mSystems.00588-19"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2022.129055"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chemosphere.2024.141348"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2020.108110"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00248-023-02202-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2021.682605"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tim.2025.03.013"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-46302-y"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2672.2007.03706.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1574-6976.2008.00113.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1099\/ijs.0.63149-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.micres.2024.127836"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2022.1114199"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/lambio\/ovaf028"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/plants12091765"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bcab.2024.103032"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s13201-018-0796-5"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00253-022-11860-y"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00253-011-3454-5"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_34_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/AEM.06522-11"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_35_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5897\/AJB11.3394"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10482-014-0224-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_37_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2021.127948"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_38_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.21105\/joss.01236"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_39_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-020-20236-7"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_40_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41587-019-0072-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_41_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1101\/gr.215087.116"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_42_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.26508\/lsa.202201719"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_43_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bioinformatics\/btt086"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_44_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4939-9173-0_14"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_45_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2164-9-75"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_46_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bioinformatics\/btu153"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_47_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkac920"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_48_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s40168-018-0401-z"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_49_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1010998"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_50_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkad326"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_51_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.syapm.2015.03.007"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_52_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bioinformatics\/btv681"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_53_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2105-11-579"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_54_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bioinformatics\/btx155"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_55_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1007732"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_56_2","unstructured":"R Core Team. 2013. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. Foundations of Statistical Computing Vienna Austria."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_57_2","unstructured":"Allaire J. 2012. RStudio: integrated development environment for R. RStudio Boston MA."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_58_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bioinformatics\/btab806"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_59_2","unstructured":"Harrell Jr FE. 2019. Package \u2018hmisc.\u2019 CRAN2018"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_60_2","unstructured":"Oksanen J Blanchet FG Kindt R Legendre P Minchin PR O\u2019hara RB Simpson GL Solymos P Stevens MHH Wagner H. 2013. Package \u2018vegan\u2019. Community ecology package"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_61_2","unstructured":"Wilkins D Kurtz Z. 2019. gggenes: draw gene arrow maps in \u2018ggplot2\u2019R package version 0.4. 0"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_62_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12864-018-5245-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_63_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.etap.2023.104081"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_64_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecoenv.2021.111914"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_65_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2023.1252127"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_66_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/MMBR.00019-17"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_67_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tim.2009.12.010"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_68_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4236\/aim.2019.97041"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_69_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1139\/cjm-2017-0609"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_70_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/mBio.01918-14"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_71_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41579-020-00497-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_72_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2174\/1874070701812010056"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_73_2","volume-title":"Volume I: From Habitats to Genes and Proteins","author":"Mergeay M","year":"2015","unstructured":"Mergeay M, Houdt R. 2015. Metal response in Cupriavidus metallidurans: volume I: from habitats to genes and proteins. In Volume I: From Habitats to Genes and Proteins. Springer."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_74_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1074\/jbc.M312080200"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_75_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/cells8040309"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_76_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.est.8b06389"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_77_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1230667"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_78_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1758-2229.12136"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_79_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/bs.ampbs.2017.02.001"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_80_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1177932220938064"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_81_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0140274"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_82_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2020.01846"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_83_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijantimicag.2007.02.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_84_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00128-006-1036-5"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_85_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12864-024-10146-z"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_86_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fm.2016.12.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_87_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12864-015-1488-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_88_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ismejo\/wraf004"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_89_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1040841X.2017.1303661"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_90_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41559-022-01705-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_91_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.est.6b05342"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_92_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00128-014-1383-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_93_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.watres.2020.116318"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_94_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.8221.1"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_95_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro1085"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_96_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1751-7915.12117"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_97_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2021.752288"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_98_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/dnares\/dsm014"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_99_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3109\/1040841X.2013.856854"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_100_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jam.12224"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_101_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11274-024-04192-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_102_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tplants.2016.01.005"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_103_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-022-31819-x"}],"container-title":["Microbiology Spectrum"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/spectrum.03127-25","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/spectrum.03127-25","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T13:10:18Z","timestamp":1781701818000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/10.1128\/spectrum.03127-25"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Sudhir Pratap","family":"Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"references-count":102,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1128\/spectrum.03127-25"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/spectrum.03127-25","relation":{},"ISSN":["2165-0497"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2165-0497","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-09-30","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-03-20","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-04-30","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e03127-25"}}