Particles exhausted from petrol and diesel consumptions are major components of urban air pollution that can be exposed to human via direct inhalation or other routes due to atmospheric deposition into water and soil. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most serious threats to modern health care. However, how the petrol and diesel exhaust particles affect the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in various environments remain largely unknown. This study investigated the effects and potential mechanisms of four representative petrol and diesel exhaust particles, namely 97 octane petrol, 93 octane petrol, light diesel oil, and marine heavy diesel oil, on the horizontal transfer of ARGs between two opportunistic Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains, E. coli S17-1 (donor) and E. coli K12 (recipient). The results demonstrated that these four representative types of nano-scale particles induced concentration-dependent increases in conjugative transfer rates compared with the controls. The underlying mechanisms involved in the accelerated transfer of ARGs were also identified, including the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the consequent induction of oxidative stress, SOS response, changes in cell morphology, and the altered mRNA expression of membrane protein genes and those involved in the promotion of conjugative transfer. The findings provide new evidences and mechanistic insights into the antimicrobial resistance risks posed by petrol and diesel exhaust particles, and highlight the implications and need for stringent strategies on alternative fuels to mitigate air pollution and health risks.

消耗汽油和柴油所消耗的颗粒物是城市空气污染的主要组成部分，由于大气中沉积到水和土壤中，它们可以通过直接吸入或其他途径暴露于人类。抗菌素耐药性是现代医疗保健面临的最严重威胁之一。然而，在各种环境中，汽油和柴油机废气颗粒如何影响抗菌素耐药基因（ARG）的发展和传播仍然未知。本研究探讨的ARG两个机会之间水平传送的影响和四种代表性汽油潜在机制和柴油机排气颗粒，即97辛烷值汽油，93辛烷值汽油，轻柴油，和海洋重柴油，大肠杆菌（E.大肠杆菌）菌株，大肠杆菌S17-1（供体）和大肠杆菌K12（收件人）。结果表明，与对照相比，这四种代表性类型的纳米级颗粒诱导了共轭转移速率的浓度依赖性增加。还确定了与ARGs加速转移有关的潜在机制，包括细胞内活性氧（ROS）的产生以及由此引起的氧化应激，SOS反应，细胞形态的改变以及膜蛋白基因mRNA表达的改变。以及那些促进共轭转移的人。研究结果为汽油和柴油机尾气颗粒带来的抗微生物药耐药性风险提供了新的证据和机制见解，并突出了对替代燃料以减轻空气污染和健康风险的影响以及采取严格战略的必要性。