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Plastic-mediated alterations in soil microbial networks and their role in sulfamethazine degradation.
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Plastic pollution in soil doesn't just sit there—it changes which bacteria thrive, and this study found that plastic-associated microbes actually made it harder for soil to break down a common livestock antibiotic (sulfamethazine), causing it to build up by about 25%. This matters because it suggests plastic waste in farmland could help antibiotics linger longer in the environment, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance and contaminating soil, crops, and water we rely on.
The spatiotemporal co-accumulation of plastics and antibiotics in the environment drives structural changes in soil microbial communities, thereby affecting their antibiotic resistance and metabolic functionality. However, the selection and colonization of microorganisms with antibiotic-degrading capabilities in soil plastisphere remain insufficiently understood. In this study, we utilized high-throughput sequencing and DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) to examine the influence of polyethylene (PE) on the biodegradation of sulfamethazine (SMZ) and to identify the taxonomic affiliations of SMZ-degrading bacteria in plastisphere. Our results revealed that the presence of plastic reduced soil bacterial diversity, significantly altered microbial community composition (P < 0.01), and weakened the stability of the soil ecological network. Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were selectively enriched in the plastisphere, resulting in a 25.05 % increase in soil SMZ residues. A total of 38 genera were identified as potential SMZ degraders in the plastisphere, including Nocardioides, Oryzihumus, and Streptomyces. Of these, nine genera-such as Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum, unclassified Nocardioidaceae, and Myxococcaceae were uniquely active in SMZ degradation in the plastisphere. These findings demonstrate that plastisphere-associated microbial colonizers influence antibiotic degradation in soil, emphasizing their ecological significance and highlighting the broader impact of plastic pollution on the environmental fate of antibiotics.
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Soil microorganisms in the age of plastic pollution: effects of micro- and nano-plastics on soil health
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This review pulls together research on how tiny plastic particles in soil affect the microbes that keep soil healthy—finding that these particles can stress and damage microbial cells, while also creating surfaces where antibiotic-resistant bacteria can multiply and spread their resistance genes to other bacteria. This matters because healthy soil microbes support the food we grow, and the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment could make infections harder to treat in people. The review also notes that plastics break down far less in soil than many assume, meaning this contamination is likely to stick around and keep affecting soil ecosystems for a long time.
Time-dependent effects of microplastics on soil bacteriome
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Researchers studied how six common types of microplastics affect soil bacteria over time at realistic contamination levels. The effects were slow to appear due to the chemical stability of plastics, but over time, microplastics altered bacterial community structure and soil functions in ways that differed by plastic type. This matters because changes to soil bacteria can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on food quality.
The impact of microplastic and sulfanilamide co-exposure on soil microbiota
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This study investigated what happens when microplastics and the antibiotic sulfanilamide are present together in soil, finding that the combination significantly altered soil microbial communities compared to either pollutant alone. Both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics interacted with the antibiotic to change bacterial diversity and soil chemistry. The results show that microplastics and antibiotics in agricultural soil can have compounding effects on soil health, potentially affecting the crops grown in it.
Unexpected mitigation of microplastic-induced nitrification inhibition by sulfamethoxazole: The pivotal roles of polymer aging and microbial metabolic shifts
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Scientists found that plastic pollution and a common antibiotic interact in surprising ways inside wastewater treatment plants, sometimes making pollution's harmful effects worse, sometimes better, depending on the plastic type and how weathered it is. This matters because wastewater treatment protects our water supplies, and understanding these hidden chemical interactions helps engineers keep treatment systems working properly as plastic and drug pollution keeps rising.
Effects of co-loading of polyethylene microplastics and ciprofloxacin on the antibiotic degradation efficiency and microbial community structure in soil
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Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin together affect soil microbial communities and antibiotic degradation. The study found that co-loading of microplastics with antibiotics altered microbial community structure and affected the rate of antibiotic degradation in soil, suggesting microplastic contamination may influence how soils process pharmaceutical pollutants.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.