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Role of microplastics in mediating the transmission of antibiotic resistance gene tet from antibiotic-resistant bacteria to Litopenaeus vannamei
Summary
Researchers investigated whether microplastics can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria into shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), facilitating the transfer of resistance genes. They found that PVC microplastics carrying tetracycline-resistant bacteria altered the distribution of the resistance gene tet in shrimp tissues and caused changes in tissue structure and gene expression, suggesting microplastics may pose indirect risks to food safety.
Microplastics function as vectors for bacterial spread, a role attributed to the biofilms that develop on their surfaces. We speculate that consuming microplastics enriched with antibiotic-resistant bacteria will augment the likelihood of horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. To explore the synergistic transmission of microplastics to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the study focuses on the distribution pattern of the antibiotic resistance gene tet in shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Tet was primarily accumulated in the gills during individual bacterial exposure, but it was most abundant in the intestines and eyes via microplastics mediation. Ingestion of polyvinylchloride microplastics with tetracycline-resistant Enterobacter asburiae caused alterations in tissue morphology and functional gene expression in shrimps, but not in survival rate. These findings confirm that microplastics can function as vectors for the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes, thereby influencing tissue structure and gene expression of L. vannamei, which in turn poses risks to food safety.