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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 (MPs) are pervasive environmental pollutants that create new ecological niches for various microbial communities, including opportunistic pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). The physicochemical properties of plastics including hydrophobicity, high surface area-to-volume ratio, chemical stability, and persistence in the environment promote microbial colonization and biofilm formation creating a unique habitat known as the plastisphere. Weathering and ageing processes also modify MP surfaces, which enhances microbial attachment and the accumulation of pollutants that may exert selective pressure for antimicrobial resistance. The plastisphere provides conducive conditions for microbial interactions and horizontal gene transfer, thus promoting persistence and dissemination of ARGs in aquatic, terrestrial and agricultural ecosystems. MPs can act as mobile vectors that transport resistant microorganisms and resistance determinants between environmental compartments and potentially into food webs and host-associated microbiomes. Numerous studies have shown that plastisphere biofilms often exhibit higher ARG abundances and microbial diversity than the surrounding environmental matrices, underscoring their role as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance. Although this phenomenon is increasingly being recognized, there are still important knowledge gaps regarding the mechanisms governing ARG enrichment, persistence and transfer on MP surfaces under varying environmental conditions. Furthermore, inconsistencies in sampling, sequencing and bioinformatic analyses hinder cross-study comparisons and comprehensive risk assessments. This review integrates current knowledge of MP-associated microbial communities and ARG dynamics, identifying the plastisphere as an emerging hotspot for antimicrobial resistance. Understanding these interactions is important for developing effective monitoring strategies and mitigation measures in a One Health approach to address the environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance.
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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.
Selection for antimicrobial resistance in the plastisphere
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This review examines how microplastics in the environment may contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance by providing surfaces where bacteria, antibiotics, and resistant genes converge. Researchers describe several mechanisms by which the microbial communities living on microplastics, known as the plastisphere, could accelerate horizontal gene transfer of resistance traits. The study highlights an emerging concern at the intersection of plastic pollution and the global antimicrobial resistance crisis.
Plastisphere as a Vector for Pathogenic Microbes and Antibiotic Resistance
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This review examines how the plastisphere, the microbial community that colonizes plastic surfaces, serves as a vector for pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. Researchers found that microplastics can adsorb antibiotics and facilitate higher rates of plasmid transfer among bacteria, with potentially pathogenic species carrying multi-drug resistance genes identified on plastic surfaces.
Microplastisphere antibiotic resistance genes: A bird's-eye view on the plastic-specific diversity and enrichment
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Microplastics in the environment act as surfaces for microbial communities called microplastispheres, which this review finds are enriched with antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The type of plastic, surrounding water chemistry, and co-occurring pollutants all influence which resistance genes accumulate, raising concern that microplastics could be spreading antibiotic resistance through aquatic environments worldwide.
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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.
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