Edge of PracticeBiological ConstraintRCS Boundary

Antibiotic Resistance Gene Admissibility Boundary

Cleanliness claims are valid only if resistance gene abundance and connectivity remain stable under disturbance. Mean microbial reduction is non-admissible as a proxy for genetic risk.

Core Boundary Doctrine

Resistance gene stability is non-admissible if any surface exhibits a ≥0.5 log shift or if connected genetic reservoirs dominate post-cleaning composition.

Valid only if

ARG abundance remains stable and no connected fast-response genetic network dominates.

Invalid when

Any gene shifts ≥0.5 log or localized persistence networks reweight system-level genetic composition.

Governing scale

Spatial genetic connectivity, not mean biomass reduction.

Constraint Definition

What is being tested

Non-antimicrobial cleaning is admissible only if it does not alter resistance gene abundance or enable dominance of connected ARG reservoirs.

Clean appearance or reduced microbial load does not establish genetic stability.

Governing Variables

Genetic persistence is connectivity-driven

  • Normalized ARG abundance (gene / 16S)
  • Log change Δ = log10(T1 / T0)
  • Spatial correlation of ARG-bearing regions
  • Presence of horizontal transfer markers (intI1)
Failure Modes

Falsification conditions

  • Any ARG or marker shifts ≥0.5 log
  • Post-cleaning enrichment of ARG markers
  • Dominance of fast-response genetic subsets

Mean stability is not evidence of genetic neutrality.

Experimental Protocol

Binary falsification design

  • Baseline vs post-cleaning sampling
  • qPCR quantification (ARGs + intI1)
  • Normalization to 16S
  • Triplicate measurement and reproducibility requirement

Outcome is strictly binary. Interpretation beyond thresholds is non-admissible.

Below the Edge

Connectivity-controlled persistence

Resistance gene persistence is governed by connected fast-response reservoirs, not average microbial reduction.

  • Mean cleanliness is non-admissible
  • Uniform response assumptions are non-admissible
  • Load-based risk models are non-admissible

When connected reservoirs survive, they dominate post-cleaning genetic outcomes regardless of total biomass reduction.

PASS

No ARG shifts ≥0.5 log and no evidence of connected persistence dominating system behavior.

FAIL

Any ARG shift ≥0.5 log or emergence of dominant connected genetic reservoirs.

Genetic risk is governed by connectivity, not averages.

When connected resistance reservoirs persist, they define system behavior regardless of total microbial reduction.

Edge-of-Practice experiments are constraint-bound, reproducible, and non-interpretive beyond defined thresholds.