The human resistome and microbiome within the Dutch meat production chain, a metagenome-wide study among farmers and slaughterhouse workers

Studies investigating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans working in the meat production chain have primarily focused on specific bacterial species and types of AMR. However, larger scale resistome and microbiome studies, to our knowledge, have never been reported. This study analyzes (dis)similarities in faecal microbiome and resistome composition within and between farmer (pigs and poultry) and slaughterhouse populations (pig slaughterhouse employees, pig carcasses and faeces). The outcomes of these groups need to be compared to a non-occupationally linked control group from the same age group (LifeLines samples could provide these controls (the metagenomic data). The available dataset of LifeLines-DEEP is useful but not compatible with our experimental design which we would like to exclude as a confounding factor).