We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Aged Microplastics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: A Review of Aging Effects on Their Interactions
ClearUV-aging of microplastics increases proximal ARG donor-recipient adsorption and leaching of chemicals that synergistically enhance antibiotic resistance propagation
Researchers found that UV-aged microplastics are significantly better at adsorbing bacteria and genetic material than fresh ones, boosting the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes by up to nearly fivefold. The aging process also caused the plastics to release organic chemicals that made bacteria more permeable and receptive to gene transfer. The study highlights an overlooked way that weathered microplastics in the environment could accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Microplastics act as vectors for antibiotic resistance genes in landfill leachate: The enhanced roles of the long-term aging process
This study examined whether the aging of microplastics in aquatic environments influences their role as vectors for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Aged microplastics showed different ARG enrichment patterns on their surfaces compared to pristine particles, suggesting that weathering changes the capacity of plastic debris to accumulate and spread antibiotic resistance.
[Influencing Factors and Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Enrichment by Microplastics in the Environment].
This review examines how microplastics in the environment serve as carriers for antibiotic resistance genes, enriching and spreading resistant bacteria across air, soil, water, and sediments. Researchers found that the type, surface characteristics, and aging of microplastics all influence how effectively they accumulate resistance genes and facilitate horizontal gene transfer. The findings highlight the need to consider microplastics as an important vector in the environmental spread of antibiotic resistance.
The unexpected role of aged microplastics in inhibiting antibiotic resistance gene spread
Aged (weathered) microplastics were unexpectedly found to inhibit antibiotic resistance gene transfer between bacteria compared to virgin plastics. This surprising result suggests that the physical and chemical changes plastics undergo in the environment can alter their role in spreading antibiotic resistance, a key public health concern.
Effects of aging of polyethylene microplastics and polystyrene nanoplastics on antibiotic resistance gene transfer during primary sludge fermentation
This study found that aged (weathered) microplastics and nanoplastics promoted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes during sewage sludge treatment more than fresh plastics did. The weathering process changed the surface properties of the plastics, making them better carriers for drug-resistant bacteria and their genes. This is concerning because sludge from treatment plants is often applied to farmland, potentially spreading antibiotic resistance through soil and into the food supply.
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.
Aging attenuates threat: how moderate aging of microplastics suppresses antibiotic resistance gene proliferation during sludge anaerobic digestion
Researchers examined how the degree of weathering of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics affects their tendency to promote antibiotic resistance gene spread during sewage sludge digestion, and found a counterintuitive U-shaped relationship: moderately aged plastics actually suppressed resistance gene proliferation by up to 50% compared to fresh plastics, while more heavily aged plastics saw the effect bounce back. The mechanism involves weathering altering how microplastics affect microbial stress responses and gene transfer pathways. The findings highlight that the environmental history of microplastics matters when assessing their biological risks.
A review on enriched microplastics in environment: From the perspective of their aging impact and associate risk
This review explores what happens to microplastics as they age in the environment over long periods. Researchers found that natural weathering changes the physical and chemical properties of microplastics in ways that may increase their ability to harbor harmful microorganisms and interact with other pollutants, suggesting that aging may actually make microplastic pollution more hazardous over time rather than less.
Antibiotic resistance in plastisphere
Researchers reviewed antibiotic resistance in the plastisphere — the microbial community colonizing plastic surfaces in aquatic environments — finding that plastic properties and aging influence the enrichment and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes, and that aged microplastics pose elevated risks due to increased adsorption of resistant bacteria.
Enhanced biotoxicity by co-exposure of aged polystyrene and ciprofloxacin: the adsorption and its influence factors
This study found that polystyrene microplastics aged by sunlight absorbed significantly more of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin than fresh microplastics, and the combination was more toxic to organisms than either pollutant alone. The aging process created more surface area and chemical binding sites on the plastic particles. This is important because it means weathered microplastics in the real world can concentrate antibiotics and deliver higher toxic doses to organisms, potentially contributing to both direct toxicity and antibiotic resistance.
Mechanism and characterization of microplastic aging process: A review
This review explains how microplastics age and break down in the environment through sunlight, heat, and chemical reactions, and why this aging process matters. As microplastics weather, their surfaces change in ways that make them better at absorbing toxic pollutants and more harmful to living organisms. Understanding these aging processes is important because the microplastics people encounter in food and water have typically been weathered, meaning they may be more dangerous than the fresh plastics used in most lab studies.
Changes in electron distribution of aged microplastic and their environmental impacts in aquatic environments
This study examines how microplastics change at the molecular level as they age in water, finding that sunlight and chemical processes rearrange the electron structure on their surfaces. These aged microplastics develop persistent free radicals and oxygen-containing groups that make them more reactive, increasing their ability to absorb pollutants and potentially spread antibiotic resistance genes. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in the environment may be more chemically active and potentially more harmful than fresh ones.
Photoaged microplastics enhanced the antibiotic resistance dissemination in WWTPs by altering the adsorption behavior of antibiotic resistance plasmids
Researchers found that microplastics exposed to UV light become significantly better at attracting and holding antibiotic resistance genes, increasing their capacity by 43 to 48 percent compared to unaged particles. This enhanced adsorption was linked to increased surface roughness and chemical changes on the plastic surface. The study suggests that UV-treated wastewater discharge may inadvertently accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment through aged microplastics.
Adsorption of levofloxacin by ultraviolet aging microplastics
Researchers studied how ultraviolet aging changes the ability of common microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic levofloxacin. The study found that UV-aged polystyrene, polyamide, and polyethylene microplastics all showed significantly enhanced adsorption capacity compared to their unaged counterparts, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher pollutant loads.
The wheel of time: The environmental dance of aged micro- and nanoplastics and their biological resonance
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics change as they age in the environment through exposure to sunlight, water, and biological activity. Aged plastics behave differently than fresh ones: they accumulate faster in ecosystems, are more easily taken up by organisms, and can release trapped chemicals as they break down. The findings suggest that the real-world health and environmental risks of microplastics may be greater than lab studies using new, unweathered plastics indicate.
Effects of aged microplastics on the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in oysters and their excreta
Researchers studied how aged microplastics affect the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in oysters and their excreta. The study found that microplastics can serve as carriers for antibiotic resistance genes in filter-feeding organisms, potentially exacerbating the spread of antibiotic resistance in aquaculture environments where plastic contamination is widespread.
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.
Photoaging microplastics as ecological architects of antibiotic resistance dissemination in aquatic sediments: Shifting bacterial adaptation from metabolic regulation to invasive phenotypes
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in water and sediment environments help spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria - the "superbugs" that are harder to treat with medicines. When these microplastics age from sunlight exposure, they become even better at helping dangerous bacteria multiply and share their resistance to antibiotics with other bacteria. This means that plastic pollution in our waterways could be making it harder for doctors to treat infections in people, creating a serious public health risk.
Microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes as rising threats: Their interaction represents an urgent environmental concern
This review examines how microplastics interact with antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment, creating a combined pollution threat. Microplastics can absorb antibiotics onto their surface and serve as platforms where bacteria exchange resistance genes. This interaction could accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance, making infections harder to treat and posing a growing public health risk.
Microplastics mediated antibiotic resistance gene enrichment and transfer in environment: Different types, microplastic antibiotic resistance gene ecological island and nano-size effect
This review examines how microplastics serve as platforms for accumulating and spreading antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. Researchers introduced the concept of a microplastic antibiotic resistance gene ecological island, describing how plastic surfaces create niches where resistant bacteria and mobile genetic elements concentrate. The study found that biodegradable and aged microplastics are particularly effective at promoting resistance gene adhesion and transfer, posing a dual environmental threat.
Quantitative assessment of interactions of hydrophilic organic contaminants with microplastics in natural water environment
Researchers quantified how microplastics interact with common antibiotic pollutants in natural water conditions, comparing virgin and environmentally aged polystyrene particles. They found that aged microplastics absorbed significantly more antibiotics than new ones due to increased surface area and chemical changes from weathering. The study suggests that as microplastics age in the environment, they become more effective at concentrating and transporting other harmful pollutants.
Effects of erythromycin on biofilm formation and resistance mutation of Escherichia coli on pristine and UV-aged polystyrene microplastics
Researchers investigated how the antibiotic erythromycin affects bacterial biofilm formation on both new and UV-weathered polystyrene microplastics. They found that UV aging significantly changed the surface properties of the plastic, increasing its ability to absorb antibiotics and promote antibiotic-resistant bacterial mutations. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment may act as hotspots for the development and spread of antibiotic resistance.
Alteration of microbial mediated carbon cycle and antibiotic resistance genes during plastisphere formation in coastal area
Researchers investigated how microplastic surfaces in coastal environments develop biofilm communities, known as the plastisphere, and whether these biofilms enrich antibiotic resistance genes. The study found that incubation time, habitat type, and microplastic aging state all significantly influenced biofilm composition, and that aged microplastics accumulated more antibiotic resistance genes than new ones, suggesting microplastics may serve as vectors for spreading resistant bacteria.
Adsorption of Macrolide Antibiotics by Aged Microplastics of Different Sizes: Mechanisms and Effects
Researchers investigated how aging affects the ability of polystyrene microplastics to adsorb macrolide antibiotics in water, testing two particle sizes under simulated natural aging conditions. They found that aging increased surface roughness and oxygen-containing functional groups on the microplastics, significantly enhancing their ability to adsorb azithromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher loads of antibiotic contaminants than pristine particles.