Soils contain microorganisms capable of causing diseases in humans, either
as opportunistic or as obligate pathogens. The application of herbicides
increases the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic
elements, which expands the competitive niche of pathogenic microbes. This
implies that herbicides could impose selective pressure driving the spread of
antibiotic resistance and therefore making heavily herbicide treated agricultural
soil a possible reservoir of multiresistant opportunistic human pathogens.
From the soil exposed to chlorinated aromatic herbicides S-metolachlor
and isoxaflutole, semi-persistent selective herbicides widely used in
European Union and Serbia we isolated bacteria able to grow on herbicide as
the sole carbon source. Bacterial isolates were assessed for various virulence
traits and resistance to antibiotics in order to identify the strains with high
pathogenic potential
