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Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Environmental Sources Marine & Wildlife Remediation Sign in to save

Microplastics increase int1 abundance and persistence of wastewater-derived microbes in freshwater

CNR ExploRA 2017
Di Ludovico A., Eckert E. M., Kettner M. T., Arias-Andrés M., Fontaneto D., Grossart H., Corno G.

Summary

This study found that microplastics significantly increased the abundance and persistence of the integron-1 gene — a key marker of antibiotic resistance potential — in bacteria from a wastewater-impacted river. The findings raise concern that microplastic pollution in water bodies may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance in microbial communities.

Study Type Environmental

Plastic pollution is a major global concern with several million microplastic particles entering every day freshwater ecosystems via wastewater discharge, together with human pathogens. Microplastic particles stimulate biofilm formation (plastisphere) throughout the water column and have the potential to affect microbial community structure, especially enhancing the proliferation of biohazardous bacteria in pelagic systems. To test this scenario, we simulated the inflow of treated wastewater into a temperate lake using a continuous culture system with a gradient of concentration of microplastic particles. We followed the effect of microplastics on the microbial community structure by ARISA and on the occurrence of integrase 1 (int1, by qPCR), a marker associated to mobile genetic elements known as a proxy for anthropic effects on the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes.

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