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Biodegradable microplastics amplify antibiotic resistance in aquaculture: A potential One Health crisis from environment to seafood
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Researchers tracked antibiotic resistance genes in tilapia aquaculture systems exposed to conventional polypropylene and biodegradable PBAT microplastics over 90 days. They found that both types of microplastics promoted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, with biodegradable plastics showing comparable or even greater effects. The findings challenge the assumption that biodegradable plastics are safer, suggesting they may similarly amplify antibiotic resistance risks in food production systems.
Aquaculture has become a reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and microplastics (MPs), threatening food security and human health. However, the role of MPs, in ARGs dissemination remains unclear. Here, we tracked ARGs dynamics in tilapia aquaculture systems via a 90-day in situ MPs-exposure experiment, and compared the impacts of conventional polypropylene MPs (PP-MPs) and biodegradable poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) MPs (PBAT-MPs) on resistome distribution, ecological risks, and microbial assembly across water, sediment, plastisphere, and fish guts via metagenomics. Results revealed the MPs served as microbial scaffolds, enriching microbiome and resistome. Species turnover (>80 %) and deterministic process induced by MPs dominated the microbial community assembly. Astonishingly, PBAT-MPs posed higher risks compared to PP-MPs based on risks ranking (Rank I ARGs and risk index) and pathogen identification (37 % and 34 % of clinical ARGs, respectively). Stronger correlations were built in plastisphere between the microbial communities and ARGs (r > 0.8 and p < 0.05). Microbes (path coefficient = 0.632, p < 0.01) and MGEs (path coefficient = 0.344, p < 0.01) jointly exerted positive correlations with the ARGs profile. With sediments and MPs functioning ARGs reservoir and vectors, resistome dissemination mediated by plastisphere biofilm evolution were potentially exacerbated through trophic accumulation. By integrating multi-compartment resistome mapping (sediment reservoir-MPs vector-fish exposure), we established MPs as amplifiers of ARGs across trophic chains, directly linking environmental dynamics to human dietary exposure risks, thereby advancing environmental sustainability, food safety and antimicrobial resistance governance under One Health Perspective.
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This study found that biodegradable plastics (PLA and PBAT), often promoted as eco-friendly alternatives, actually increased antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soil more than conventional plastics like polyethylene. The biodegradable plastics promoted the growth of bacteria that carry resistance genes and enhanced the ability of these genes to spread between organisms. These findings challenge the assumption that switching to biodegradable plastics will reduce environmental and health risks in farming.
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Researchers analyzed the microbes living on biodegradable and conventional plastic mulch fragments in farm soil and found that both types harbored antibiotic resistance genes and disease-causing bacteria, including human pathogens. Surprisingly, the biodegradable plastic (PBAT/PLA) had a higher diversity and abundance of resistance genes than conventional polyethylene. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer and raises concerns about antibiotic resistance spreading from farm microplastics.
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Researchers conducted an in-situ experiment in an urban lake comparing how biodegradable and conventional plastics accumulate antibiotic resistance genes on their surfaces. They found that biodegradable polymers like PBS and PLA harbored significantly more resistance genes than conventional polystyrene, and that bacterial communities on all plastics differed markedly from those in the surrounding water. The study suggests that biodegradable microplastics may actually pose higher health risks by serving as hotspots for antibiotic resistance in polluted freshwater environments.
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