Abstract:
The spread of antibiotic resistance in offshore aquaculture environments has become a major hidden danger to global environmental pollution, public health and food safety, and poses a severe challenge to the prevention and treatment of human infectious diseases. Viruses promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment through horizontal gene transfer, which is a key mechanism for the spread of ARGs. However, there is a lack of scientific understanding of the characteristics of virome ARGs contamination in offshore aquaculture environments. In this research, the distribution characteristics of virome ARGs in the offshore aquaculture environment and the main mechanisms of virus-mediated horizontal transfer of ARGs are generally reviewed, an analysis of the environmental factors influencing the spread of virome ARGs provided, the key advancements in current research summarized, and some unresolved scientific issues in the study of virome ARGs in the offshore aquaculture environment highlighted. This review aims to deepen the understanding of the ecological role of viruses in ARGs transmission in the marine aquaculture environment and provide scientific support for controlling the spread of antibiotic resistance in marine aquaculture environments and formulating management strategies to address ARGs contamination.