A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Gender differences in global antimicrobial resistance
Authors: Salehi, Mahkameh; Laitinen, Ville; Bhanushali, Shivang; Bengtsson-Palme, Johan; Collignon, Peter; Beggs, John J.; Pärnänen, Katariina; Lahti, Leo
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication year: 2025
Journal: npj biofilms and microbiomes
Journal name in source: npj Biofilms and Microbiomes
Article number: 79
Volume: 11
ISSN: 2055-5008
eISSN: 2055-5008
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00715-9
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00715-9
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/498686850
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the leading causes of mortality globally. However, little is known about the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in human gut metagenomes, collectively referred to as the resistome, across socio-demographic gradients. In particular, limited evidence exists on gender-based differences. We investigated how the resistomes differ between women and men in a global dataset of 14,641 publicly available human gut metagenomes encompassing countries with widely variable economic statuses. We observed a 9% higher total ARG load in women than in men in high-income countries. However, in low- and middle-income countries, the difference between genders was reversed in univariate models, but not significant after adjusting for covariates. Interestingly, the differences in ARG load between genders emerged in adulthood, suggesting resistomes differentiate between genders after childhood. Collectively, our data-driven analyses shed light on global, gendered antibiotic resistance patterns, which may help guide further research and targeted interventions.
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Funding information in the publication:
CSC IT Centre for Science Finland is acknowledged for providing computing infrastructure.The research was funded by the Research Council of Finland (grant 348439 to KP; 330887 to LL, VL, MS). KP and SB were funded by Alhopuro Foundation grant 20220114. JBP acknowledges funding from the Swedish Research Council (VR; grants 2019-00299 and 2023-01721) under the frame of JPI AMR (EMBARK and SEARCHER; JPIAMR2019-109 and JPIAMR2023 DISTOMOS-016, respectively), the Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS) program supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW 2020.0239), and the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (FFL21-0174). LL, MS, and KP received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 952914.
