Search

Simple Summary: Air pollution has been identified as a contributing factor to increasing antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the microbiome of dust particles. The aim of the study was to structurally and functionally characterise the microbial communities of dust particles in urban ecosystems of Moscow and to compare the prevalence of predicted resistome modules and culturable antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the microbiomes. The present study revealed a higher prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the microbiomes of dust particles sampled in the most polluted functional zones of Moscow. Furthermore, antibiotic resistance was a more diverse functional characteristic of the microbial communities of airborne particles. Urban dust samples were collected in Moscow (Russia) in June 2021. The samples were collected in three functional zones of Moscow (traffic, residential, and recreational) and included air microparticles, leaf dust, and paved dust. Data on the taxonomic composition of bacterial communities were obtained for dust samples, and their functional characteristics were predicted using PICRUSt2 2.5.0 and FAPROTAX 1.8.0 software. The culturable part of the bacterial community was examined for the presence of antibiotic-resistant strains with respect to β-lactams, tetracyclines, amphenicols, and aminoglycosides. The presence of bacteria resistant to ceftazidime, cefepime, and tetracycline was detected in all dust samples. The presence of bacteria resistant to meropenem and amikacin was only observed in the dust collected from leaves in the residential and traffic zones. The overall abundance of cultured antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the total heterotrophs ranged from 0.03% to 1.88%, with the highest percentage observed in dust from the residential zone. Notably, strains resistant to all antibiotics tested were observed in the leaf dust bacterial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]