Background Chaohu Lake (CL) is one of the most polluted areas in China due to its high content of antibiotics. However, the distribution and influencing factors of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in this lake are still controversial. Methods To solve this problem, we used metagenomic sequencing to investigate the distribution and in-fluencing factors of ARGs in CL. Results Our findings revealed the existence of nine kinds of ARGs, including 45 specific genes. The most abundant types were multidrug, bacitracin, polymyxin, macrolide lincosamide streptogramin, and aminoglycoside. Multiple microorganisms were undeniable ARG reservoirs, although they were not dominant species in the microbiota. Our results also showed that both the microbiota and physiochemical factors played important roles in shaping the distributions of ARGs in CL. Specifically, the levels of PO4-P (0.5927) and total phosphorus (0.4971) had a greater impact than total nitrogen (0.0515), NO3-N (0.0352), NO2-N (−0.1975), and NH3-N (−0.0952). Conclusions These findings provide valuable insights into the distribution and influencing factors of ARGs in lakes.
