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Microplastics Exacerbated Conjugative Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes during Ultraviolet Disinfection: Highlighting Difference between Conventional and Biodegradable Ones

Environmental Science & Technology 2024 15 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 50 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Taishuo Zhang, Zixuan Zhang, Yiqi Chen, Zixuan Zhang, Zeyuan Yang, Zeyuan Yang, Zeyuan Yang, Xinrui Zhang, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Taishuo Zhang, Yiqi Chen, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Zixuan Zhang, Taishuo Zhang, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Mingjun Wang, Jian Wang, Jian Wang, Jian Wang, Zixuan Zhang, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Taishuo Zhang, Taishuo Zhang, Mingjun Wang, Taishuo Zhang, Xiaowei Wu, Zixuan Zhang, Xiaowei Wu, Jian Wang, Peng Liu, Zeyuan Yang, Mingjun Wang, Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Zixuan Zhang, Zixuan Zhang, Zixuan Zhang, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Zeyuan Yang, Xiaowei Wu, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Taishuo Zhang, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Xiaowei Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Zixuan Zhang, Zixuan Zhang, Peng Liu, Mingjun Wang, Mingjun Wang, Zeyuan Yang, Zixuan Zhang, Xiaowei Wu, Zeyuan Yang, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Zeyuan Yang, Hanzhong Jia Taishuo Zhang, Hanzhong Jia Xiaowei Wu, Zeyuan Yang, Taishuo Zhang, Hanzhong Jia Taishuo Zhang, Hanzhong Jia Taishuo Zhang, Zixuan Zhang, Hanzhong Jia Yiqi Chen, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Yiqi Chen, Zeyuan Yang, Xiaowei Wu, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Xiaowei Wu, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Taishuo Zhang, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Peng Liu, Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia Hanzhong Jia

Summary

Researchers found that microplastics significantly increased the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes during ultraviolet disinfection of wastewater. Conventional polystyrene microplastics facilitated more gene transfer than biodegradable polylactic acid ones, primarily by shielding bacteria from UV light and generating reactive oxygen species that increased cell membrane permeability.

Polymers

PLA PS

Study Type Environmental

Microplastics (MPs) have been confirmed as a hotspot for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater. However, the impact of MPs on the transfer of ARGs in wastewater treatment remains unclear. This study investigated the roles and mechanisms of conventional (polystyrene, PS) and biodegradable (polylactic acid, PLA) MPs in the conjugative transfer of ARGs during ultraviolet disinfection. The results showed that MPs significantly facilitated the conjugative transfer of ARGs compared with individual ultraviolet disinfection, and PSMPs exhibited higher facilitation than PLAMPs. The facilitation effects were attributed to light shielding and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nanoplastics from ultraviolet irradiation of MPs. The light shielding of MPs protected the bacteria and ARGs from ultraviolet inactivation. More importantly, ROS and nanoplastics generated from irradiated MPs induced intracellular oxidative stress on bacteria and further increased the cell membrane permeability and intercellular contact, ultimately enhancing the ARG exchange. The greater fragmentation of PSMPs than PLAMPs resulted in a higher intracellular oxidative stress and a stronger enhancement. This study highlights the concerns of conventional and biodegradable MPs associated with the transfer of ARGs during wastewater treatment, which provides new insights into the combined risks of MPs and ARGs in the environment.

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