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Microplastics in marine pollution: Oceanic hitchhikers for the global dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria
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This review examines how marine microplastics serve as surfaces for biofilm formation by bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant strains, enabling the global dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria through ocean currents. The authors highlight the plastisphere as an understudied vector for spreading antibiotic resistance genes across marine environments.
Microplastics (MPs) are globally anthropogenic contaminants of marine environments. Bacteria can colonize MPs forming biofilms that constitute the plastisphere. Carbapenem-resistant bacteria in plastisphere could be a hidden threat for marine life. The role of MPs in the spread of AMR bacteria/genes deserves global investigation.
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Microplastics and the plastisphere: hidden players of global antimicrobial resistance
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This review summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in the environment that become coated with microbes, forming a "plastisphere." Studies show these coatings often carry more antibiotic resistance genes than surrounding water or soil, and may help spread resistant microbes between environments, though gaps remain in understanding the exact mechanisms.
Microplastics: Disseminators of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogenic bacteria
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This review examined the role of microplastics as carriers of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and pathogenic bacteria, analyzing how plastisphere biofilms concentrate and spread AMR through air, water, and soil environments. The evidence supports MPs as global vectors for antimicrobial resistance dissemination with implications for human health.
Microplastics pollution in the ocean: Potential carrier of resistant bacteria and resistance genes
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This review examined microplastics in marine environments as carriers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes, finding that plastic surfaces selectively enrich resistance genes through horizontal gene transfer and co-selection pressure, making ocean microplastics a vector for resistance dissemination across ecosystems.
Microplastics and Their Role in the Maintenance and Spread of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Marine Ecosystems
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This review examines the role of microplastics in maintaining and spreading antibiotic resistance genes in marine ecosystems, synthesizing evidence that plastic pollution in aquatic environments creates reservoirs for antimicrobial resistant bacteria and facilitates horizontal gene transfer.
Microplastics: Hidden drivers of antimicrobial resistance in aquatic systems
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This review examines how microplastics in aquatic environments serve as surfaces for biofilm formation, creating what researchers call the 'plastisphere,' which can harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria and pathogens. Evidence indicates that microplastics facilitate the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes through water systems, potentially affecting both aquatic organisms and human health. The findings underscore microplastics as an overlooked driver of antibiotic resistance in waterways.
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