Scottish Soil Antibiotic Resistance Gene Concentrations (2007-2010)

183 soil samples from a 20km grid across Scotland contain relative concentration data for nearly 300 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. The dataset, created by the Environmental Information Data Centre, represents major antibiotic classes including aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, tetracycline, and vancomycin from the National Soils Inventory of Scotland.

Use Cases

• Map the spatial distribution of specific AMR gene classes like tetracycline or beta-lactams across the 183 Scottish sampling locations.
• Analyze correlations between relative gene abundance for different resistance traits, such as FCA or MLSB genes, within the soil microbiome.
• Model environmental drivers of antibiotic resistance by using the grid-based sampling design and nearly 300 gene targets as features.

Strengths

• Systematic spatial coverage from 183 soil locations at intersections of a 20km grid across all of Scotland.
• Targets nearly 300 specific antimicrobial resistance genes representing major antibiotic classes.
• Data collection follows a standardized protocol from the National Soils Inventory of Scotland (NSIS2).

Limitations

• Data is limited to a single time period (2007-2010), preventing analysis of temporal trends in resistance.
• Measures relative gene abundance rather than absolute counts, which may complicate cross-study comparisons.
• Sample size of 183 locations may be insufficient for highly granular spatial modeling within Scotland.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre via the National Soils Inventory of Scotland (NSIS2).

Collection Method

Total community DNA extracted from soil samples, assessed for AMR gene content.

Time Range

2007-2010

Freshness

Last updated in March 2026, though underlying sample collection ended in 2010.

Geography

Scotland, using a 20km grid across the entire landscape.