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Low-density polyethylene enhances the disturbance of microbiome and antibiotic resistance genes transfer in soil-earthworm system induced by pyraclostrobin
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When earthworms were exposed to both polyethylene microplastics and a common fungicide (pyraclostrobin), the microplastics increased the pesticide's absorption into the earthworms' bodies and caused more severe oxidative damage than either pollutant alone. The combination also dramatically increased antibiotic resistance genes in both the soil and earthworm gut. This is concerning because it shows microplastics in farmland can amplify the spread of antibiotic resistance, a major threat to human medicine.
Non-antibiotic chemicals in farmlands, including microplastics (MPs) and pesticides, have the potential to influence the soil microbiome and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Despite this, there is limited understanding of the combined effects of MPs and pesticides on microbial communities and ARGs transmission in soil ecosystems. In this study, we observed that low-density polyethylene (LDPE) microplastic enhance the accumulation of pyraclostrobin in earthworms, resulting in reduced weight and causing severe oxidative damage. Analysis of 16 S rRNA amplification revealed that exposure to pyraclostrobin and/or LDPE disrupts the microbial community structure at the phylum and genus levels, leading to reduced alpha diversity in both the soil and earthworm gut. Furthermore, co-exposure to LDPE and pyraclostrobin increased the relative abundance of ARGs in the soil and earthworm gut by 2.15 and 1.34 times, respectively, compared to exposure to pyraclostrobin alone. It correlated well with the increasing relative abundance of genera carrying ARGs. Our findings contribute novel insights into the impact of co-exposure to MPs and pesticides on soil and earthworm microbiomes, highlighting their role in promoting the transfer of ARGs. This knowledge is crucial for managing the risk associated with the dissemination of ARGs in soil ecosystems.
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Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics of different sizes alongside a common fungicide and found that smaller microplastics caused the most severe oxidative stress and DNA damage. The microplastics also changed how much fungicide accumulated in the earthworms and disrupted their gut bacteria. This matters because earthworms are essential for soil health, and these effects could ripple through agricultural ecosystems that produce our food.
Ecotoxicological effects of polyethylene microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in tetracycline-contaminated soil: Oxidative stress, intestinal barrier damage, and metabolic reprogramming
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Scientists found that when microplastics and antibiotic residue (tetracycline) mix together in soil, they cause even more damage to earthworms than either pollutant alone — harming their gut tissue, disrupting their energy production, and overwhelming their natural defense systems. Since earthworms are a key indicator of soil health, and soil health underpins the food we grow, this suggests that the growing combo of plastic waste and antibiotic pollution in farmland could pose bigger risks to ecosystems (and potentially our food supply) than scientists previously realized by studying these pollutants separately.
The combined effects of azoxystrobin and different aged polyethylene microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida): A systematic evaluation based on oxidative damage and intestinal function
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Scientists studied how the pesticide azoxystrobin and aged polyethylene microplastics together affect earthworms, and found the combination was significantly more toxic than either pollutant alone. The aged microplastics helped the earthworms absorb more pesticide, leading to greater weight loss, more oxidative damage, and worse intestinal damage. This is important for human health because it shows that microplastics in agricultural soil can increase the bioavailability and toxicity of pesticides that may end up in our food.
From gut lumen to extragut tissue: dysbiosis-induced gut bacterial translocation mediates antibiotic resistance gene enrichment in Eisenia fetida under polystyrene microplastic and roxithromycin exposure
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Scientists found that when earthworms are exposed to both microplastics and a common antibiotic, harmful gut bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes can leak out of the gut and spread into the worm's body tissue. This matters because these worms are used in some traditional medicines and can enter the food chain, meaning this combo of pollution could help antibiotic resistance travel from soil into things people eat or use—making it harder to treat infections down the line.
Combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and carbendazim on Eisenia fetida: A comprehensive ecotoxicological study
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Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pesticide carbendazim on earthworms and found that the two pollutants together caused worse damage than either alone. The combined exposure led to growth problems, oxidative stress, and organ damage even at lower concentrations. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and microplastics and pesticides commonly co-exist in farmland, these findings suggest that agricultural soil contamination could have cascading effects on the food system.
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