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Imperative implication of microplastics as vital agent for salmonellosis inducing biofilms, antibiotic resistance, and health risk
Summary
This review examines how microplastics serve as reservoirs and vectors for Salmonella, promoting biofilm formation, environmental persistence, and the spread of antibiotic resistance. Researchers summarized evidence that weathered, hydrophobic microplastic surfaces create stable microhabitats that enhance bacterial adhesion and virulence. The findings suggest that microplastics may play a significant role in amplifying foodborne disease risks and accelerating the evolution of drug-resistant pathogens.
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as dynamic microbial interfaces that reshape pathogen ecology, antibiotic resistance evolution, and disease transmission. This review examines how MPs function as reservoirs and vectors for Salmonella enterica, highlighting the plastisphere as a stable biofilm microhabitat that enhances bacterial adhesion, environmental persistence, stress tolerance, and virulence expression. We summarize evidence that MP surfaces especially weathered, hydrophobic polymers, promote dense biofilms that protect Salmonella from desiccation, UV exposure, sanitization, and antimicrobial agents. Within these structured communities, co-localization of Salmonella with antibiotic residues, heavy metals, and diverse microbial taxa accelerates horizontal gene transfer and co-selection of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence determinants. MPs thereby act as mobile genetic "incubators" that disseminate multidrug-resistant Salmonella across soil, aquatic systems, wastewater networks, food production environments, and host microbiomes. These interactions link environmental contamination with zoonotic and foodborne transmission pathways, constituting a critical One Health concern. We identify current methodological gaps and propose research priorities for mechanistic risk assessment, monitoring frameworks, and intervention strategies. Recognizing MPs as active ecological players rather than inert pollutants is essential for mitigating their role in the global spread of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella.
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