# Install abricate with Homebrew

Find antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in contigs. Version 1.4.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-29.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:abricate
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install abricate
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:abricate
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.4.0
- **Source summary:** Find antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in contigs
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/tseemann/abricate>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/tseemann/abricate>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-29T17:23:23+01:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- abricate (alias)
- abricate-get_db (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.4.0
## Project history and usage

ABRicate is a Perl command-line tool for mass screening assembled contigs against antimicrobial-resistance and virulence-gene databases. It matters to package maintainers because it wraps BLAST+, database setup, and summary reporting into a familiar Unix bioinformatics command.

### Project history

The first GitHub release, v0.1, was published as 'Debut' on April 2, 2015. The README describes the project as mass screening of contigs for antimicrobial resistance or virulence genes and explains that the name combines the common acronym ABR, for antibiotic resistance, with an English-verb-like form.

### Adoption history

ABRicate became useful in workflow packaging because the README documents Bioconda installation, source installation, dependency checks, database setup, and operation through a single abricate command. The current Homebrew input metadata shows it packaged for Homebrew, while upstream also advertises Bioconda download badges.

### How it is used

The tool screens assemblies, not raw FASTQ reads, and reports gene hits with coverage, identity, database, accession, product, and resistance fields. It can process many files, read a file-of-filenames, summarize reports into a presence/absence matrix, update bundled databases, and build custom nucleotide databases.

### Why package nerds care

ABRicate is a classic bioinformatics packaging target: a Perl entry point with external command dependencies, bundled or downloadable reference databases, and a check/setup workflow that packagers and workflow engines can exercise after install. Its release history also tracks database refreshes and CI migration.

### Timeline

- 2015: v0.1 Debut release.
- 2020: v1.0.0 added file-of-filenames scanning, defaults around coverage/identity thresholds, MEGARES docs, and NCBI/CARD database support.
- 2025: v1.2.0 refreshed databases, moved CI to GitHub Actions, switched download code to Perl File::Fetch, and improved docs.
- 2026: v1.4.0 added a UPEC/ExPEC virulence-factors database and updated NCBI AMR data.

### Related projects

- The README points users to ARIBA, ResFinder, RGI, SRST2, and AMRFinderPlus when ABRicate is not the right fit. It also bundles or references databases including NCBI AMRFinderPlus, CARD, ResFinder, ARG-ANNOT, MEGARES, PlasmidFinder, VFDB, VICTORS, BacMet, and UPEC/ExPEC VF.

### Sources

- <https://github.com/tseemann/abricate#readme>
- <https://github.com/tseemann/abricate/releases>
- input source_facts.package-manager


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/abricate.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/abricate.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph