We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Decision: A comparative, multi-study analysis of plastisphere communities, plasmid dynamics, and antibiotic resistance genes — R1/PR8
Original title: Decision: A comparative, multi-study analysis of plastisphere communities, plasmid dynamics, and antibiotic resistance genes — R1/PR8
Summary
Tiny plastic particles floating in water aren't just pollution—they're also rafts for bacteria, and this study found that some of those bacteria carry genes for antibiotic resistance on "mobile" genetic elements that can easily jump between different bacterial species. This matters because it means microplastics could potentially help spread antibiotic resistance in the environment, making it easier for harmful, drug-resistant bacteria to develop and spread—a growing concern for public health as antibiotic resistance already makes some infections harder to treat.
Microplastics are widespread in aquatic environments and support surface-associated microbial communities. Although antimicrobial resistance in the plastisphere has been reported, the organization of resistance genes across plasmid types and mobility categories on microplastic surfaces remains incompletely characterized. In this study, we analyzed published microplastic biofilm metagenomes to examine microbial community structure, plasmid replicon diversity, predicted mobility, and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) distributions across microplastics from various global locations. Phylum-level taxonomic profiles varied by geography, but most plastisphere communities were dominated by Pseudomonadota. Core microbiome analysis revealed several genera within the Pseudomonadota (Paracoccus, Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Sulfitobacter, Vibrio, Mesorhizobium, Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, Roseovarius, and Hyphomonas) as members of the plastisphere core. Plasmid reconstruction revealed differences in predicted mobility profiles, with conjugative plasmids frequently identified in the polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride samples. A co-occurrence analysis of plasmid mobility, replicons, and ARG showed that conjugative plasmids connected a broader range of replicons to multiple ARG classes than mobilizable or non-mobilizable plasmids. IncFIB and IncFII replicons were prominent with high ARG co-occurrence. Additionally, several less-characterized rep_cluster replicons were detected across microplastic types, indicating diverse and understudied plasmid backbones within plastisphere communities, underscoring the importance of considering plasmid context when evaluating plastisphere resistomes.