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Antarctic marine microplastics reveals environmental persistence and rapid evolution of Candida auris
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Scientists found a dangerous drug-resistant fungus called *Candida auris* in Antarctica for the first time, showing this "superbug" can survive in extreme cold and stick to plastic materials like nylon. The fungus has a special ability to mutate rapidly, which helps it develop resistance to multiple antifungal medications that doctors use to treat infections. This discovery is concerning because it shows how this hard-to-treat fungus can spread globally and continue evolving to resist our best medicines.
Candida ( Candidozyma ) auris is a critical priority fungal pathogen that emerged two decades ago near simultaneously on multiple continents. Since emergence, C. auris resistance to all four classes of antifungal drugs has been described, including pan-drug resistant isolates, sometimes evolving in-patient. Here, we confirm the first isolation of C. auris from Antarctica and show cold-adapted phenotypes and an affinity for binding to nylon. We also provide evidence to suggest mutator phenotypes contribute to the rapid evolution in C. auris and are responsible for the emergence of multiple, distinct genetic clades worldwide. Isolates in clades I, III and IV with a mutator phenotype displayed elevated mutation rates compared to non-auris Candida species. This phenotype had a complex genetic basis and was associated with drug resistance mutations. We postulate that the mutator phenotype has a significant effect on evolutionary potential and is responsible for the emergence and rapid spread of drug-resistance C. auris and novel genetic clades.
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Aquatic Plastisphereas a Reservoir for Pathogenicand Antifungal-Resistant Fungi
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Scientists found that plastic debris floating in urban waterways is coated with a slimy microbial film that harbors disease-causing fungi—including some already flagged by the WHO as high-risk—many of which showed resistance to common antifungal drugs. This matters because it suggests plastic pollution isn't just an environmental problem; it may also be helping drug-resistant fungal infections spread and hitch rides through our water systems, making them harder to treat if they reach people.
Aquatic Plastisphere as a Reservoir for Pathogenic and Antifungal-Resistant Fungi
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Scientists found that plastic waste floating in urban waterways is covered in harmful fungi—including several types the World Health Organization flags as top health threats—and many of these fungi are already resistant to antifungal drugs. Lab tests confirmed these drug-resistant fungi are alive and thriving on plastic surfaces more than in the surrounding water, suggesting plastic pollution may help spread hard-to-treat fungal infections. This matters because it points to plastic waste as an overlooked way that dangerous, drug-resistant germs travel through our environment and potentially reach people.
Plastic pollution as a novel reservoir for the environmental survival of the drug resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris
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This study investigated the effects of nanoplastics on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, finding dose-dependent inhibition of seed germination and root elongation. Uptake of fluorescent polystyrene nanoplastics was confirmed by confocal microscopy, showing accumulation in root epidermal cells and suggesting active uptake mechanisms in plant tissues.
Inland Antarctic plastispheres harbour unique and diverse antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements
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Researchers analyzed plastic debris collected from Antarctic lakes, soils, and a protected area and found that plastisphere communities harbor significantly more antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements than surrounding environments, with antibiotic-resistant bacteria surviving prolonged freezing — raising concerns about plastic as a vector for resistance dissemination even in remote ecosystems.
The Phenomenon of Antibiotic Resistance in the Polar Regions: An Overview of the Global Problem
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This review examines how antibiotic resistance is reaching even the polar regions through pathways including tourism, research stations, animal migration, and the movement of microplastics carrying resistant bacteria. The authors found that Arctic and Antarctic environments now harbor antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, demonstrating the truly global nature of this public health challenge. The study emphasizes that improved waste management at polar research stations and monitoring of resistance spread are urgently needed.
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