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Marine microplastics enrich antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), especially extracellular ARGs: An investigation in the East China Sea
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Researchers found that microplastics floating in the East China Sea carried 5 to 140 times more antibiotic resistance genes than the surrounding seawater, with genes on the outside of cells being especially enriched. The microplastic surfaces also hosted a more diverse bacterial community, including disease-causing species. This means microplastics in the ocean act as rafts that concentrate and spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which could eventually reach humans through seafood and water.
The potential of microplastics to carry coexisting pollutants and contribute to combined pollution is a significant health concern. Here we investigate the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in both intracellular ARGs (iARGs) and extracellular ARGs (eARGs) forms, on microplastics collected from the coastal waters of the East China Sea. Our findings revealed that both iARGs and eARGs were enriched on microplastics. Specifically, 6- to 55-fold enrichment of iARGs was found on microplastics, while eARGs were more significantly enriched (5-140 fold). 16s rDNA analysis revealed that microplastics harbored a more diverse microbial community, particularly opportunistic pathogens, compared to surrounding seawater. This contributes to more correlations between bacterial genera and ARGs on microplastics than in sea water. Molecular ecological network analysis indicated that total nitrogen and ammonia were primary determinants of ARG and microbial enrichment on microplastics. This study provides implications for understanding the combined pollution of microplastics and ARGs.
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Marine plastisphere selectively enriches microbial assemblages and antibiotic resistance genes during long-term cultivation periods
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Researchers placed four types of common microplastics in a marine environment for over 100 days and found that bacterial communities and antibiotic resistance genes accumulated on the plastic surfaces over time. PVC microplastics were particularly effective at concentrating resistance genes, and a key gene-transfer element was found on all plastic types. These results show that microplastics floating in the ocean act as hotspots for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which could eventually reach humans through seafood or water.
[Microplastic-Induced Alterations to Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Seawater].
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Microplastics added to seawater were found to increase the diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) over a 49-day period, with different plastics having different effects. This suggests that microplastics in coastal waters may contribute to the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, posing a risk to public health.
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.
Microplastisphere may induce the enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes on microplastics in aquatic environments: A review
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This first meta-analysis of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) enrichment on microplastics found that ARGs were more abundant on microplastic surfaces than on inorganic substrates or in surrounding water, but less abundant than on natural organic substrates. Freshwater microplastics showed a higher degree of ARG enrichment than those in saline water or sewage.
Microplastics host distinct microbial communities enriched in potentially pathogenic taxa and antibiotic resistance genes: evidence from environmental and experimentally aged plastics in a coastal marine environment
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Scientists found that tiny plastic bits floating in the sea aren't just pollution, they're also rafts for germs, hosting different (and sometimes riskier) bacteria than the surrounding water, including *Vibrio*, a group that can cause food poisoning and infections. These plastic-riding bacteria also carried more genes for antibiotic resistance, including some tied to hard-to-treat infections, suggesting microplastics could help spread drug-resistant germs through the ocean and potentially into seafood or coastal waters people come into contact with.
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