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Tire wear particles amplify the transmission risk of antibiotic resistance genes in a soil–plant system by reshaping microbial communities
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In a soil and vegetable plant study, tire wear particles changed soil chemistry and microbial communities, increasing antibiotic resistance genes in soil, roots and leaves, with effects peaking at certain particle concentrations. The study suggests tire wear particles may contribute to antibiotic resistance genes entering vegetables in the food chain.
Tire wear particles (TWPs) can drive the proliferation and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil–vegetable ecosystems. Clarifying how TWPs indirectly drive the cross-habitat transmission of ARGs by regulating soil enzyme activities, together with the underlying microecological linkages and the concentration boundaries of these effects, is of great significance for safeguarding agricultural product safety and curbing the spread of antibiotic resistance. We found that TWPs reduced soil nitrogen and phosphorus availability and suppressed urease and sucrase activities; at 2.6%, NO₃ − -N and available phosphorus declined by 60.4% and 89.4%, disrupting rhizosphere stoichiometry. Leaf endophyte diversity showed a nonmonotonic response to TWP concentration, with a marked rebound at 1.4% before declining further at higher concentrations, and Firmicutes rose from 13.93% to 63.26%, replacing Proteobacteria as the dominant leaf endophytic phylum. The abundances of tetM , intI1 , and sul1 all peaked at 2.0%, with the relative abundances of soil intI1 and sul1 increasing 5.24- and 4.78-fold relative to the control. Exploratory path analysis suggested that TWP-induced changes in soil physicochemical properties were associated with ARG distribution along the soil–root–leaf axis, with mobile genetic elements associated with cross-habitat differences in ARG abundance. Among the target genes, sul1 showed the strongest enrichment relative to the control, and the integrated risk index peaked at 2.0%; adult women showed the highest absolute dietary exposure load because of their larger vegetable intake proportion, whereas children are expected to face higher weight-adjusted physiological vulnerability given their lower body weight and immature immune system. These findings identify TWPs as a driver of ARG enrichment in vegetables entering the food chain and underscore the need to include ARG risk in the management of emerging pollutants.
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Tire particles and its leachates: Impact on antibiotic resistance genes in coastal sediments
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Researchers studied how tire particles and the chemicals they release affect antibiotic resistance genes in coastal sediment microorganisms. They found that both the physical particles and their chemical leachates increased the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and altered microbial community structure. The findings suggest that tire wear pollution in coastal areas may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance in marine environments.
Tire Wear Particle Microbiome-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Function as Potent Vectors Amplifying Antimicrobial Resistance Risk in Soil Ecosystems
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Researchers found that bacteria colonizing tire wear particles release extracellular vesicles at six times the rate of those in bulk soil or water, and that these vesicles are selectively loaded with antibiotic resistance genes — including multidrug and tetracycline resistance — and can transfer functional resistance to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli, establishing tire wear particles as a novel urban pathway in the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
[Effects of Tire Wear Particles on Seedling Growth of Kidney Bean （Phaseolus vulgaris L.） and Soil Antibiotic Resistance Gene Abundance].
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Researchers studied how tire wear particles, a major source of microplastics, affect kidney bean seedling growth and antibiotic resistance genes in soil. The study found that tire wear particles impaired root development by up to 49% and fresh weight by up to 48%, while also significantly increasing the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in soil, including high-risk genes linked to drug-resistant bacteria.
Integrating metabolomics and high-throughput sequencing to investigate the effects of tire wear particles on mung bean plants and soil microbial communities.
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Tire wear particles at realistic concentrations (0.1-1.5% soil weight) inhibited mung bean growth, altered root metabolite profiles, and shifted soil microbial community structure, indicating that road-derived plastic contaminants can disrupt soil-plant systems in agricultural settings.
Enhanced transformation of antibiotic resistance genes: a new environmental risk of tire wear particles and leachates
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Researchers found that tire wear particles (TWPs) and their leachate can significantly enhance the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into bacteria, with leachate increasing transformation frequency up to 13-fold compared to controls. The leachate promoted ARG uptake by inducing oxidative stress and increasing membrane permeability, while the particles themselves had an opposing inhibitory effect, revealing a complex dual mechanism by which TWPs may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment.
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