Metagenomic insight into the pathogenic-related characteristics and resistome profiles within microbiome residing on the Angkor sandstone monuments in Cambodia

Abstract

To reveal the characteristics of indigenous microbiome including the pathogenic-related ones on Angkor monuments in Cambodia and the distribution pattern of resistome at different locations, several sites, namely Angkor Wat, Bayon of Angkor Thom, and Prasat Preah Vihear with different exposure levels to tourists were selected to conduct the metagenomic analysis in this study. The general characteristics of the microbiome on these monuments were revealed, and the association between the environmental geo-ecological feature and the indigenous microbiome was delineated. The most common microbial groups included 6 phyla, namely Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Nitrospirae, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia on the monuments, but Firmicutes and Chlamydiae were the most dominant phyla found in bats droppings. The taxonomic family of Chitinophagaceae could serve as a signature microbial group for Preah Vihear, the less visited site. More importantly, the pathogenic-related characteristics of the microbiome residing on Angkor monuments were uncovered. A set of specific antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) with cross-niches dispersal capacity (between the environmental microbiome and the microbiome within warm blood fauna) was identified to be high by the source tracking analysis based on ARGs profile varies in this study. Among the 10 ARG-types detected in this study, 6 of them are confined to resistance mechanism of antibiotic efflux-pump. The findings of this study provide new a new direction on public health management and implication globally at archaeological sites for tourism.

Keywords: ARGs; Angkor monuments; Antibiotic efflux pump gene; Clinical pathogenicity; Resistome.