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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics reduced the natural attenuation of antibiotic resistance genes in fertilized soils
ClearBiodegradable microplastics exacerbate the risk of antibiotic resistance genes pollution in agricultural soils
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.
Effect of polyethylene microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes: A comparison based on different soil types and plant types
This study compared how polyethylene microplastics affect antibiotic resistance genes across different soil types and found that contaminated soils and the presence of certain plants influenced which resistance genes proliferated. The results suggest that microplastics in agricultural soil can help spread antibiotic resistance, which is a serious concern for human health because resistant bacteria can enter the food supply through crops.
An Overview of Antibiotic Resistance and Abiotic Stresses Affecting Antimicrobial Resistance in Agricultural Soils
This systematic review found that soil contaminants from organic and chemical fertilizers, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and untreated sewage sludge significantly promote antimicrobial resistance by increasing the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soils. Abiotic stresses like salinity and drought further amplify this effect. The findings connect to microplastic research because microplastics have been shown to serve as vectors for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes in soil environments.
Microplastic aging mediates bacterial and antibiotic resistance gene composition in plastisphere and the associated soil solution
Researchers ran a microcosm experiment comparing how pristine versus aged microplastics influenced bacterial communities and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) composition in the plastisphere and surrounding soil solution. Aged MPs enriched distinct ARGs and microbial taxa compared to pristine MPs, suggesting MP weathering intensifies the spread of antibiotic resistance in soils.
Effects of microplastics on dissipation of oxytetracycline and its relevant resistance genes in soil without and with Serratia marcescens: Comparison between biodegradable and conventional microplastics
This study found that biodegradable plastic (PBAT) microplastics actually slowed the breakdown of the antibiotic oxytetracycline in soil more than conventional polyethylene microplastics did, and both types promoted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. This matters for human health because antibiotic-resistant bacteria from contaminated soils can eventually reach people through food or water.
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.
Fate and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes on microplastics in facility vegetable soil
This study found that microplastics in vegetable farm soils serve as hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), potentially amplifying the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in agricultural environments. The co-presence of microplastics and ARGs in food-producing soils raises concerns about pathways for resistance genes to enter the food chain.
Influence of microplastics on the availability of antibiotics in soils
Researchers tested how three common types of microplastics affect the availability of antibiotics in different soil types. They found that microplastics significantly reduced the amount of antibiotics accessible in soil by providing extra binding sites and altering soil chemistry. The findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could change how antibiotics move through the environment.
Microplastics Enhance the Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Anaerobic Sludge Digestion by Enriching Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Surface Biofilm and Facilitating the Vertical and Horizontal Gene Transfer
This study found that microplastics in sewage sludge promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, which make bacteria harder to treat with antibiotics. Microplastics provided a surface for resistant bacteria to grow and helped them share resistance genes with other bacteria. The more microplastics present, the more antibiotic resistance spread, raising concerns about how plastic pollution in wastewater could contribute to the growing antibiotic resistance crisis.
Effects of freeze-thaw dynamics and microplastics on the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in soil aggregates
Researchers investigated how freeze-thaw cycles and microplastics together affect the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil. The study found that repeated freezing and thawing significantly increased antibiotic resistance genes across different soil particle sizes. Interestingly, the presence of polyethylene microplastics actually reduced some of the resistance gene increases caused by freeze-thaw, suggesting a complex interaction between these two environmental stressors.
Varying characteristics and driving mechanisms of antibiotic resistance genes in farmland soil amended with high-density polyethylene microplastics
A 60-day soil experiment found that high-density polyethylene microplastics containing phthalate additives significantly enhanced antibiotic resistance gene abundance in farmland soil compared to plastics without phthalates, identifying phthalate release as a key driver of microplastic-associated ARG enrichment.
Size-specific effects of polyethylene microplastics (100–10,000 nm) on the soil resistome and pathogens revealed via metagenomics and machine learning
Researchers incubated polyethylene microplastics of three different sizes in antibiotic-resistant soils and found that smaller particles had the strongest effect on spreading antibiotic resistance genes and increasing pathogen abundance. The microplastics altered soil chemistry, reduced beneficial enzyme activity, and promoted the growth of potentially harmful bacteria while decreasing beneficial species. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution in soils may worsen the spread of antibiotic resistance, with particle size playing a key role.
Microbial Bioindicators for Monitoring the Impact of Emerging Contaminants on Soil Health in the European Framework
This study analyzed soil samples from across EU countries to investigate how microplastics may help spread antibiotic resistance. Researchers found that bacterial communities on microplastic surfaces can harbor antibiotic resistance genes, and the plastisphere environment facilitates the transfer of these genes between microbes. The findings suggest microplastics in soil could serve as hotspots for antibiotic resistance, posing potential risks to human health.
Interaction of Microbes with Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Agroecosystems—Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance
This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics in agricultural soil serve as hotspots for spreading antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria. The plastic particles provide surfaces where bacteria exchange genetic material, potentially accelerating the spread of drug-resistant microbes. This is a public health concern because resistant bacteria from farm soil can enter the food chain and make infections harder to treat.
Biodegradable microplastics induced the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors in soil: A metagenomic perspective
Researchers found that biodegradable microplastics promoted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors in soil at levels comparable to conventional microplastics, challenging assumptions about their environmental safety.
Microplastics inhibit oxytetracycline degradation in soils: Insights into biofilm-enhanced adsorption and microbial community shifts
Researchers examined how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics affect oxytetracycline degradation in organic fertilizer-amended paddy soil, finding that both plastic types significantly inhibited antibiotic degradation by lowering degradation rates 11.1-20.2%. Biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces enhanced oxytetracycline adsorption and shifted microbial community composition, reducing the abundance of antibiotic-degrading microorganisms.
Time-dependent effects of microplastics on soil bacteriome
Researchers studied how six common types of microplastics affect soil bacteria over time at realistic contamination levels. The effects were slow to appear due to the chemical stability of plastics, but over time, microplastics altered bacterial community structure and soil functions in ways that differed by plastic type. This matters because changes to soil bacteria can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on food quality.
Co-existence of polyethylene microplastics and tetracycline on soil microbial community and ARGs
This study examined how polyethylene microplastics and the antibiotic tetracycline interact in soil. When present together, they altered soil microbial communities and increased the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes more than either contaminant alone. The findings raise concerns that microplastics in agricultural soil may worsen the spread of antibiotic resistance, a growing public health challenge.
Dynamic impact of polyethylene terephthalate nanoplastics on antibiotic resistance and microplastics degradation genes in the rhizosphere of Oryza sativa L.
This study found that PET nanoplastics in rice paddy soil boosted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil bacteria by up to significant levels. The plastics provided surfaces for bacteria to grow on and produced toxic byproducts that sped up gene sharing between microbes. This means microplastic pollution in agricultural soil could make antibiotic-resistant infections harder to treat in people.
Biodegradable microplastics show greater potential than conventional types in facilitating antibiotic resistance gene enrichment and transfer through viral communities
Researchers compared how conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect viral communities and antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soils and found that biodegradable plastics posed a greater risk. Biodegradable microplastics significantly enriched high-risk antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements regardless of fertilizer type, while conventional microplastics had more limited effects. The study challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are inherently safer for soil ecosystems.
Slower antibiotics degradation and higher resistance genes enrichment in plastisphere
Researchers compared how antibiotics break down on microplastic surfaces versus natural mineral surfaces in urban water environments. Tetracycline degraded significantly more slowly on microplastic biofilms than on quartzite biofilms, and the plastic surfaces harbored higher levels of antibiotic resistance genes. The findings suggest that microplastics in waterways may slow antibiotic breakdown while promoting the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Microplastic diversity increases the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in soil
When different types of microplastics accumulate together in soil, they increase the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria. The more diverse the mix of microplastic shapes, colors, and types, the greater the increase in these resistance genes. This is concerning for human health because antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soil can potentially transfer to people through food and water.
Co-exposure of microplastics and sulfamethoxazole propagated antibiotic resistance genes in sediments by regulating the microbial carbon metabolism
This study found that when microplastics and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole are present together in river sediments, certain types of microplastics amplify the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria. Biodegradable PLA plastic promoted more resistance gene spread than conventional polyethylene, likely by altering how bacteria metabolize carbon. This means microplastic pollution in waterways could be helping create antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing an indirect but serious threat to human health.
Polyvinyl chloride microplastics disseminate antibiotic resistance genes in Chinese soil: A metagenomic analysis
Researchers used metagenomic analysis to investigate how polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in Chinese soils. They found that PVC microplastics significantly influenced soil bacterial community composition and increased the abundance of certain antibiotic resistance genes. The study raises concerns that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils may accelerate the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance.