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Microbiome

Pollutants disrupt gut microbiota

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 24, page 95 (2026)Cite this article

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The pervasive use of synthetic chemicals in agriculture and industry has led to substantial environmental pollution, raising concerns about their impact on human health, particularly through the contamination of food and water. Indeed, emerging research suggests that these pollutants can affect the human microbiota with potential implications for health. In a recent study, Roux, Lindell et al. conducted a large-scale in vitro screen of 1,076 chemical pollutants, including pesticides and industrial chemicals, to assess their impact on 22 prevalent gut bacteria. They discovered 588 inhibitory interactions involving 168 chemicals, most of which were not known to possess antibacterial activity, and with fungicides and industrial chemicals showing the greatest impact on growth. They used chemical–genetic screens to identify genes that modulate the impact of chemicals on bacterial fitness and uncovered mechanisms of bacterial susceptibility to chemicals that overlap with antibiotic resistance. The authors also found that loss-of-function mutations in genes encoding beneficial metabolic enzymes were selected under pollutant exposure. The authors highlight the need to consider the effects of pollutants in future studies on the human microbiota and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and in toxicological assessments of chemicals.

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  1. Nature Reviews Microbiology http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/

    Ashley York

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  1. Ashley York
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Correspondence to Ashley York.

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This text on an editorially selected paper was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by an editor to meet Nature Portfolio publication standards.

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York, A. Pollutants disrupt gut microbiota. Nat Rev Microbiol 24, 95 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-025-01274-8

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