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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Nanoplastics-mediated physiologic and genomic responses in pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7
ClearPolystyrene nanoplastics foster Escherichia coli O157:H7 growth and antibiotic resistance with a stimulating effect on metabolism
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics promoted the growth and antibiotic resistance of pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 by stimulating bacterial metabolism, raising concerns about increased contamination risks in aquatic environments.
Nano- and Microplastics Aided by Extracellular Polymeric Substances Facilitate the Conjugative Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Bacteria
Researchers found that nanoplastics and small microplastics significantly enhance the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria by damaging cell membranes and stimulating extracellular polymeric substance production, raising concerns about plastic pollution driving antimicrobial resistance.
Polystyrene nanoparticles induce biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoparticles caused the common bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to form thicker biofilms and become more resistant to antibiotics. The nanoplastics damaged bacterial cell membranes and triggered a stress response, prompting the bacteria to produce more protective biofilm as a defense mechanism. This is concerning for human health because it suggests nanoplastic pollution could make disease-causing bacteria harder to treat with existing antibiotics.
How nanoscale plastics facilitate the evolution of antibiotic resistance?
Researchers explored how nanoscale plastic particles promote the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. They found that exposure to nanoplastics increased oxidative stress in bacteria, which in turn accelerated mutations and horizontal gene transfer that confer resistance to antibiotics. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution could be an overlooked factor contributing to the global antibiotic resistance crisis.
Unraveling the effect of micro/nanoplastics on the occurrence and horizontal transfer of environmental antibiotic resistance genes: Advances, mechanisms and future prospects
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. The tiny plastic particles create conditions that help bacteria exchange resistance genes more easily by generating oxidative stress, making cell membranes more permeable, and providing surfaces where resistant bacteria can form communities. This is a growing public health concern because antibiotic-resistant infections are increasingly difficult to treat.
Effects of microplastic concentration, composition, and size on Escherichia coli biofilm-associated antimicrobial resistance
This study examined how different types of microplastics affect the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria through biofilm formation. The researchers found that the concentration, composition, and size of microplastic particles all influence how effectively bacteria like E. coli develop drug resistance. These findings are important because they help explain how widespread plastic pollution may be contributing to the growing global crisis of antibiotic resistance.
Bacterial Interactions with Nanoplastics and the Environmental Effects They Cause
This review examined how bacteria interact with nanoplastics in natural environments, covering colonization, biofilm formation, gene transfer, and ecological effects, emphasizing that bacterial-nanoplastic interactions are critical for assessing environmental risk.
Clinically important E. coli strains can persist, and retain their pathogenicity, on environmental plastic and fabric waste
Researchers found that disease-causing E. coli strains can survive on environmental plastic waste for at least 28 days and retain their ability to cause infection. In some cases, the bacteria became even more virulent after living on plastic surfaces. The study reveals that plastic pollution in the environment can serve as a reservoir for human pathogens, posing a public health risk especially in polluted areas.
Effect of selected microplastics on the development and spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (microplastics) can help dangerous bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, making infections harder to treat. The smaller plastic pieces were especially good at helping bacteria develop this resistance, and bacteria also formed protective films on the plastic surfaces. This matters because microplastics are everywhere in our environment and food, potentially making antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" more common and threatening our ability to fight bacterial infections.
Microplastics as active modulators of Escherichia coli biofilm characteristics and their implications on the development of antimicrobial resistance
Researchers found that E. coli biofilms grown in the presence of microplastic beads developed significantly enhanced tolerance to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, with approximately 60% of cells surviving exposure compared to minimal survival in controls. The microplastic-associated biofilms were nearly seven times thicker and showed enriched extracellular matrix components, suggesting that microplastics may actively promote antimicrobial resistance development.
A neglected risk of nanoplastics as revealed by the promoted transformation of plasmid‐borne ampicillin resistance gene by Escherichia coli
Researchers discovered that polystyrene nanoplastics can significantly promote the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria, increasing transformation efficiency by 2.8 to 5.4 fold. The study found that nanoplastics induced oxidative stress, activated bacterial SOS responses, and increased cell membrane permeability, facilitating the uptake of resistance-carrying DNA, while larger microplastics had no such effect.
Exposure to Nanoplastic Particles Enhances Acinetobacter Survival, Biofilm Formation, and Serum Resistance
Researchers found that nanopolystyrene particles enhance the survival, biofilm formation, and serum resistance of the bacterial pathogen Acinetobacter johnsonii, suggesting nanoplastics may increase the virulence and persistence of environmental pathogens.
Effect of polystyrene nanoplastics exposure on gene expression and pathogenesis of zoonotic pathogen, Edwardsiella piscicida
Researchers exposed the fish pathogen Edwardsiella piscicida to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that the plastic particles altered the expression of genes related to the bacterium's ability to cause disease. The nanoplastics appeared to enhance the pathogen's virulence and stress response systems. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in water could make certain bacterial infections in fish more severe.
Polystyrene nanoplastics and pathogen plasticity: Toxic threat or tolerated stressor in Salmonella enterica?
Researchers examined how polystyrene nanoplastics affect Salmonella enterica, a major foodborne pathogen, across a range of concentrations. They found that nanoplastics induced oxidative stress, membrane damage, and increased biofilm formation, while also triggering early activation of virulence and stress-response genes. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in the environment could alter bacterial survival strategies and potentially influence food safety risks.
Nanoplastics induce prophage activation and quorum sensing to enhance biofilm mechanical and chemical resilience
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations promote the formation of more resilient bacterial biofilms by triggering viral activation and cell-to-cell communication within microbial communities. The nanoplastics caused oxidative stress that activated dormant viruses within bacteria, which in turn stimulated protective biofilm production with enhanced resistance to chlorine disinfection. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution could make harmful bacterial communities in water systems harder to eliminate through standard treatment methods.
Nanoplastics promote the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes and diversify their bacterial hosts in soil
Nanoplastics in soil were found to promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes far more than larger microplastics, even at very low concentrations. The nanoplastics changed which bacteria carried resistance genes and enabled some bacteria to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics simultaneously. This is a significant concern for human health because nanoplastics in agricultural soil could accelerate the spread of drug-resistant bacteria that make infections harder to treat.
Micro- and nanoplastics reduce the phagocytosis and intracellular killing of E. coli by THP1-Blue™ NFκB monocytes
Researchers exposed human immune cells to micro- and nanoplastic particles and then measured their ability to engulf and kill bacteria. They found that plastic exposure reduced both phagocytosis (the ability to capture bacteria) and intracellular killing in a dose-dependent manner, without directly killing the immune cells. The study suggests that microplastic exposure could weaken the body's first line of immune defense against bacterial infections.
Nanoplastics promote the dissemination of antibiotic resistance through conjugative gene transfer: implications from oxidative stress and gene expression
Sulfate-modified polystyrene nanoplastics were found to facilitate the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between E. coli strains more effectively than larger particles, operating through SOS response induction, increased membrane permeability, and altered gene expression. The findings highlight nanoplastics as potential accelerators of antibiotic resistance spread in the environment.
How micro-/nano-plastics influence the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes - A review
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics help spread antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria -- a major global health threat. The tiny plastic particles can act as platforms where bacteria exchange DNA carrying drug-resistance instructions, potentially making infections harder to treat. The effect depends on the type, size, and concentration of plastics, and has been documented in sewage, livestock farms, and landfills.
Microplastic pollution increases gene exchange in aquatic ecosystems
Researchers found that microplastics in aquatic environments serve as surfaces where bacteria form biofilms and exchange genes at higher rates than free-living bacteria. The study demonstrated increased transfer of antibiotic resistance genes among a wide range of bacterial species growing on microplastic particles. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution could accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance in waterways, posing a potential hazard to both ecosystems and human health.
Combined effects of nanosized polystyrene and erythromycin on bacterial growth and resistance mutations in Escherichia coli
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics — particularly amino-modified and 30 nm particles — increased antibiotic resistance mutations in Escherichia coli by inducing oxidative DNA damage and the bacterial SOS stress response, and that positively charged particles synergistically enhanced erythromycin toxicity by acting as antibiotic carriers.
A review on the effect of micro- and nano-plastics pollution on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance
This review highlights how microplastics serve as breeding grounds for antimicrobial resistance genes, examining the overlooked interaction between plastic pollution and antibiotic resistance that poses combined threats to environmental and human health.
Determining the Contribution of Micro/Nanoplastics to Antimicrobial Resistance: Challenges and Perspectives
This review examines how microplastics in the environment serve as surfaces where antibiotic-resistant bacteria can grow and exchange resistance genes, potentially worsening the global antimicrobial resistance crisis. Researchers found that the unique surface properties of micro- and nanoplastics create favorable conditions for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among microorganisms. The study highlights that microplastic pollution and antibiotic resistance are interconnected environmental health challenges that may need to be addressed together.
Biofilm enhances the interactive effects of microplastics and oxytetracycline on zebrafish intestine
Researchers found that microplastics coated with bacterial biofilms (natural microbial layers that form in water) caused more intestinal damage to zebrafish than clean microplastics. The biofilm-coated particles increased pathogenic bacteria in the gut by several times and significantly boosted antibiotic resistance genes. This matters because microplastics in real-world water are almost always coated with biofilms, meaning the actual health risks from waterborne microplastics may be greater than lab studies using clean particles suggest.