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Updated: Jul 8, 2025

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli
Published on: March 24, 2023
Detecting horizontal gene transfer among microbiota: an innovative pipeline for identifying co-shared genes within
Jana Schwarzerova1,2, Michal Zeman3, Vladimir Babak3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology , Brno, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a key driver in the evolution of bacterial genomes. The acquisition of genes mediated by HGT may enable bacteria to adapt to ever-changing environmental conditions. Long-term application of antibiotics in intensive agriculture is associated with the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria with the consequences causing public health concern. Commensal farm-animal-associated gut microbiota are considered the reservoir of the resistance genes. Therefore, in this study, we identified known and not-yet characterized mobilized genes originating from chicken and porcine fecal samples using our innovative pipeline followed by network analysis to provide appropriate visualization to support proper interpretation.

