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Metagenomic analysis of florfenicol and microplastics effects on microbial function and antibiotic resistome in rice seedling rhizosphere soil
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When researchers combined a common livestock antibiotic with microplastics in rice paddy soil, they found the mix made things worse than antibiotics alone, six different multi-drug-resistant, disease-causing bacteria showed up, compared to none in untreated soil. This suggests microplastics can team up with antibiotic pollution to help create more dangerous "superbugs" in the soil where our food grows, a concerning finding for food safety and the ongoing fight against antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotics enrich antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) in farmland, but the contribution of microplastics (MPs) to this process remains unclear. Here, through metagenome analysis, we revealed the add-on effects of PE and PLA on ARGs and VFGs enrichment in rice seedling rhizosphere soil under florfenicol (FF) stress. Compared with controls, root iron plaque content decreased by 35%, 66% and 69% under FF, FF + PE and FF + PLA treatments, disrupting microbial iron balance and activating ABC transporter pathways. Loss of beneficial/core microbes weakened community resistance; bacteria were more sensitive to stress than fungi. Among 945 ARGs and 391 VFs detected, antibiotic efflux abundance rose by 184% under FF, while mobile genetic elements (MGEs) increased from 0.5% to 38.1%, facilitating horizontal ARG transfer. In addition to horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mediated by mobile genetic elements (MGEs), our finding suggests a potential mechanism by which virulence factors (VFs) may promote ARG enrichment through the accumulation of tissue-damaging free radicals. Only one ARG-carrying human pathogen existed in controls, whereas six multi-drug-resistant pathogens emerged under combined pollution. This study provides new insights into the environmental risks of the add-on effects of MPs under antibiotics stress and contributing to the "One Health" goal.
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Polyamide Microplastics and Common Antimicrobials in Treated Wastewater: Unveiling their Effects on Rice Plant Growth and Soil Microbiome dynamics
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Researchers exposed rice plants to polyamide microplastics and three antimicrobials — sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and triclosan — individually and in combination, finding that microplastics enhanced uptake of two antimicrobials into plant tissues and drove 100–200-fold increases in soil antibiotic resistance genes, revealing compounding risks when these co-contaminants interact in agricultural soils.
Synergistic effects of microplastics and ciprofloxacin co-contamination on arsenic bioaccumulation and microbial dysbiosis in rice soils: Implications for multi-pollutant agroecosystem risks
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Researchers studied how microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin together affect arsenic accumulation in rice plants and soil microbial communities. They found that the combination of these pollutants significantly increased arsenic uptake by rice seedlings and disrupted beneficial soil bacteria more than any single contaminant alone. The study warns that the co-occurrence of microplastics, antibiotics, and heavy metals in agricultural soils could amplify food safety risks.
Combined contamination of microplastic and antibiotic alters the composition of microbial community and metabolism in wheat and maize rhizosphere soil
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A study found that when soil is contaminated with both microplastics and antibiotics together, the damage to wheat and maize seedlings is worse than from either contaminant alone, with increased root oxidative stress and disrupted soil bacterial communities. This combined contamination, common in agricultural soils treated with plastic mulch and livestock manure, could affect crop health and food quality.
Microbiome (rice soil)
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Researchers investigated the effects of polyamide microplastics combined with common antimicrobials — sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and triclosan — on bacterial communities in rice paddy soil microbiomes. The project aimed to characterize how co-exposure to microplastics and antibiotics alters soil microbial diversity and community composition in agricultural environments.
Microplastics combined with tetracycline in soils facilitate the formation of antibiotic resistance in the Enchytraeus crypticus microbiome
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Soil invertebrates (Enchytraeus crypticus) were exposed to microplastics and tetracycline alone and in combination; combined exposure promoted greater shifts in gut microbiome composition and higher levels of antibiotic resistance genes than either stressor alone, suggesting microplastics exacerbate antibiotic resistance spread in soil.
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