Simulated Gastric Acid Promotes the Horizontal Transfer of Multidrug Resistance Genes across Bacteria in the Gastrointestinal Tract at Elevated pH Levels

The low pH of gastric acid kills unwanted microorganisms, in turn affecting their inhabitation in the intestine. Hence, studies on the factors that influence antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) propagation in the gastrointestinal tract and on the underlying mechanisms are limited.