Soil bacteria and human pathogens share a common antibiotic resistome, indicating recent gene exchange. Researchers used a high-throughput metagenomic approach to identify antibiotic resistance genes in soil bacteria that are identical to those in human pathogens. They found multidrug-resistant soil bacteria with resistance cassettes against five antibiotic classes, including β-lactams, aminoglycosides, amphenicols, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines. These genes showed perfect nucleotide identity to genes in human pathogens, suggesting lateral gene transfer. The study also identified syntenic resistance genes shared between soil bacteria and pathogens, with some genes being identical to those in clinical isolates. The findings highlight the role of soil as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes that can be transferred to human pathogens. The study used a new method, PARFuMS, to analyze the resistome of soil-derived cultures and found that many resistance genes are shared between soil bacteria and human pathogens. The results suggest that antibiotic resistance genes can be transferred between soil and clinical pathogens through horizontal gene transfer, emphasizing the clinical importance of environmental resistance. The study also found that some soil bacteria, such as Ochrobactrum and Pseudomonas, are closely related to human pathogens and may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance. The findings have important implications for understanding the spread of antibiotic resistance and the need for monitoring environmental reservoirs.Soil bacteria and human pathogens share a common antibiotic resistome, indicating recent gene exchange. Researchers used a high-throughput metagenomic approach to identify antibiotic resistance genes in soil bacteria that are identical to those in human pathogens. They found multidrug-resistant soil bacteria with resistance cassettes against five antibiotic classes, including β-lactams, aminoglycosides, amphenicols, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines. These genes showed perfect nucleotide identity to genes in human pathogens, suggesting lateral gene transfer. The study also identified syntenic resistance genes shared between soil bacteria and pathogens, with some genes being identical to those in clinical isolates. The findings highlight the role of soil as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes that can be transferred to human pathogens. The study used a new method, PARFuMS, to analyze the resistome of soil-derived cultures and found that many resistance genes are shared between soil bacteria and human pathogens. The results suggest that antibiotic resistance genes can be transferred between soil and clinical pathogens through horizontal gene transfer, emphasizing the clinical importance of environmental resistance. The study also found that some soil bacteria, such as Ochrobactrum and Pseudomonas, are closely related to human pathogens and may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance. The findings have important implications for understanding the spread of antibiotic resistance and the need for monitoring environmental reservoirs.