Role of environmental stresses in elevating resistance mutations in bacteria: Phenomena and mechanisms

Mutations are an important origin of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. While there is increasing evidence showing promoted resistance mutations by environmental stresses, no retrospective research has yet been conducted on this phenomenon and its mechanisms. Herein, we summarized the phenomena of stress-elevated resistance mutations in bacteria, generalized the regulatory mechanisms and discussed the environmental and human health implications. It is shown that both chemical pollutants, such as antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, biocides, metals, nanoparticles and disinfection byproducts, and non-chemical stressors, such as ultraviolet radiation, electrical stimulation and starvation, are capable of elevating resistance mutations in bacteria. Notably, resistance mutations are more likely to occur under sublethal or subinhibitory levels of these stresses, suggesting a considerable environmental concern. Further, mechanisms for stress-induced mutations are summarized in several points, namely oxidative stress, SOS response, DNA replication and repair systems, RpoS regulon and biofilm formation, all of which are readily provoked by common environmental stresses. Given bacteria in the environment are confronted with a variety of unfavorable conditions, we propose that the stress-elevated resistance mutations are a universal phenomenon in the environment and represent a nonnegligible risk factor for ecosystems and human health. The present review identifies a need for taking into account the pollutants’ ability to elevate resistance mutations when assessing their environmental and human health risks and highlights the necessity of including resistance mutations as a target to prevent antibiotic resistance evolution.