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Nanoplastic Size Governs the Decoupling of Microbial Survival from Antibiotic Degradation
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In lab tests, a soil bacterium's ability to break down an antibiotic was affected differently by two sizes of plastic nanoparticles. Larger particles delayed bacterial growth but did not slow the breakdown process once it began, while smaller particles entered bacterial cells, caused stress responses, and slowed the breakdown rate by about 40%.
Abstract Nanoplastics (NPs) and antibiotics co-occur in wastewater systems, but how NP size influences antibiotic biodegradation by specialized degraders remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of europium-doped polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs; PS20 and PS100) on sulfadiazine biodegradation by Arthrobacter sp. strain D2. Modified Gompertz modeling revealed two contrasting inhibition regimes. For PS100, inhibition was dominated by lag-phase prolongation, with no detectable sulfadiazine removal over 48 h at a PS100 concentration of 100 mg L–1. In contrast, PS20 reduced the maximum sulfadiazine degradation rate by ∼40% while causing only minor changes in lag time, indicating rate-dominated inhibition. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring at a model sulfadiazine-enriched interface showed that PS100 markedly reduced the deposition of NP-pre-exposed cells, whereas PS20 only partially impaired adhesion. Transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy further revealed intracellular accumulation of PS20, whereas PS100 remained predominantly extracellular. Phase-specific physiological measurements and transcriptomics suggested that PS20 induced oxidative-stress responses associated with reduced sulfadiazine biodegradation rates, whereas PS100 elicited dose-dependent transcriptional changes during lag-phase extension. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that nanoplastics impair antibiotic attenuation through distinct size-dependent mechanisms involving interface-associated constraints and intracellular interference, highlighting particle size as a key determinant of antibiotic fate in plastic-contaminated wastewater environments.
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Size-dependent modulation of tetracycline hydrochloride toxicity by polystyrene micro/nanoplastics in the model freshwater ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (like those breaking down from everyday plastic waste) can make the antibiotic tetracycline more harmful to living cells—and the size of the plastic particle matters a lot. Smaller plastics (50 and 500 nanometers) worsened cell damage and stress, while slightly larger plastic particles (5 micrometers) actually reduced the antibiotic's harmful effects. This matters because plastics and antibiotic residues often show up together in water supplies, and this research (done in a single-celled organism, not humans) suggests we can't assess the risk of these pollutants separately—their
Insights into the Differential Impacts of Polystyrene Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Sequencing Batch Reactor Performance: From Physiological Stress to Antibiotic Resistance Gene Dissemination
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Tiny plastic particles from everyday waste can slip into wastewater treatment plants and get absorbed into the microbes that clean our water. Researchers found that the smallest particles, nanoplastics, stressed these microbes and helped spread antibiotic resistance genes more than larger microplastics did. This matters because it suggests plastic pollution could be quietly helping antibiotic resistant bacteria multiply and spread through our water systems.
Size-specific effects of polyethylene microplastics (100–10,000 nm) on the soil resistome and pathogens revealed via metagenomics and machine learning
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Researchers incubated polyethylene microplastics of three different sizes in antibiotic-resistant soils and found that smaller particles had the strongest effect on spreading antibiotic resistance genes and increasing pathogen abundance. The microplastics altered soil chemistry, reduced beneficial enzyme activity, and promoted the growth of potentially harmful bacteria while decreasing beneficial species. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution in soils may worsen the spread of antibiotic resistance, with particle size playing a key role.
Bacteria–nanoplastic interactions: mechanisms, ecological consequences, and advances in biodegradation technologies
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Tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics (way smaller than microplastics) can mess with the helpful bacteria living in our environment and bodies, damaging their cells, disrupting normal function, and even helping harmful bacteria swap antibiotic-resistance genes. This review pulls together existing research to show how these plastic particles interact with bacterial communities, raising concerns about immune system effects and microbiome health, while also highlighting how scientists are working on bacteria that can break down plastic waste.
Nanoplastics promote the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes and diversify their bacterial hosts in soil
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Nanoplastics in soil were found to promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes far more than larger microplastics, even at very low concentrations. The nanoplastics changed which bacteria carried resistance genes and enabled some bacteria to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics simultaneously. This is a significant concern for human health because nanoplastics in agricultural soil could accelerate the spread of drug-resistant bacteria that make infections harder to treat.
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