Daily occupational exposure in swine farm alters human skin microbiota and antibiotic resistome

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global public health, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are widely distributed across humans, animals, and environment. Farming environments are emerging as a key research area for ARGs and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB). While the skin is an important reservoir of ARGs and ARB, transmission mechanisms between farming environments and human skin remain unclear. Previous studies confirmed that swine farm environmental exposures alter skin microbiome, but the timeline of these changes is ill defined. To improve understanding of these changes and to determine the specific time, we designed a cohort study of swine farm workers and students through collected skin and environmental samples to explore the impact of daily occupational exposure in swine farm on human skin microbiome. Results indicated that exposure to livestock-associated environments where microorganisms are richer than school environment can reshape the human skin microbiome and antibiotic resistome. Exposure of 5 h was sufficient to modify the microbiome and ARG structure in workers' skin by enriching microorganisms and ARGs. These changes were preserved once formed. Further analysis indicated that ARGs carried by host microorganisms may transfer between the environment with workers' skin and have the potential to expand to the general population using farm workers as an ARG vector. These results raised concerns about potential transmission of ARGs to the broader community. Therefore, it is necessary to take corresponding intervention measures in the production process to reduce the possibility of ARGs and ARB transmission. We show that occupational exposure in a livestock environment dynamically reshaped the skin microbiome and resistome. This remodeling effect can take place within hours and the acquired pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have the potential to expand to the general population using farm workers as an ARG vector. Farm workers deserve special consideration under the One Health framework to curb spreading antibiotic resistance.Highlightsimage Exposure to livestock-associated environment, more microbially enriched than school environment, can remodel the human skin microbiome and antibiotic resistome.The 5 h of exposure is sufficient to alter the microbiota and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) structure of skin and these changes were retained once formed.ARGs carried by host microbes were transferred between the environment and workers' skin.