Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Novel droplet-based approach for investigating bacterial biofilm formation on microplastic

Researchers developed a droplet-based microfluidic approach to study bacterial biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces, enabling high-throughput screening of how different polymer types and surface conditions influence plastisphere community development.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Droplet-Based Technology for Studying the Phenotypic Effect of Microplastics on Antimicrobial Resistance

This study used droplet-based microfluidic technology to investigate the phenotypic effects of microplastics on individual cells or organisms at high throughput. Droplet microfluidics enables rapid screening of how different microplastic concentrations and types affect biological responses at the cellular level.

2023
Article Tier 2

High-throughput bacterial aggregation analysis in droplets

Researchers developed a high-throughput microfluidic droplet platform for studying bacterial aggregation, combining droplet-based culture with image analysis for automated characterization of aggregation dynamics. The system provided rapid, standardized measurement of bacterial clustering behavior, offering a tool relevant to microplastic biofilm formation and plastisphere ecology studies.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

New insight into the effect of microplastics on antibiotic resistance and bacterial community of biofilm

Researchers found that different types of microplastics promote distinct biofilm communities and enhance antibiotic resistance gene proliferation compared to natural substrates, suggesting microplastics serve as unique platforms for the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

2023 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Selective enrichment of bacterial pathogens by microplastic biofilm

Researchers incubated biofilms on microplastics and natural substrates in freshwater and found that microplastic surfaces selectively enriched bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes compared to rock and leaf surfaces. The study suggests that microplastics in waterways may serve as hotspots for harmful bacteria and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment.

2019 Water Research 678 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating Biofilms: Advanced Methods for Comprehending Microbial Behavior and Antibiotic Resistance

This review summarizes recent advances in biofilm research, focusing on how communities of microorganisms form protective layers on surfaces and become resistant to antibiotics. The sticky matrix that holds biofilms together plays a key role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant because microplastics in the environment serve as surfaces where these resistant biofilms can form and spread.

2024 Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm Formation of Clinically Important Bacteria on Bio-Based and Conventional Micro/Submicron-Sized Plastics.

This study compared how clinically important bacteria form biofilms on bio-based versus conventional plastic surfaces of similar size, finding differences in biofilm formation patterns between bioplastics and their conventional equivalents. The results suggest that the push to replace conventional plastics with bioplastics should consider how these materials interact with potentially harmful bacteria.

2020 Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology
Article Tier 2

Growth and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in microplastic biofilm from wastewater treatment plant effluents

Researchers studied antibiotic-resistant bacteria growing in biofilms on microplastic surfaces in wastewater treatment plant effluent. The study found that microplastic biofilms accumulated antibiotic-resistant bacteria including Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Bacillus, and that these biofilms harbored higher concentrations of resistance genes compared to surrounding water, suggesting microplastics may serve as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Colonization characteristics and surface effects of microplastic biofilms: Implications for environmental behavior of typical pollutants

This review examines how bacteria colonize microplastic surfaces in water, forming biofilms that change how the plastics behave in the environment. These biofilms alter the surface properties of microplastics and affect how they absorb and transport heavy metals and other pollutants. Understanding biofilm formation on microplastics is important because it can make the particles more dangerous by concentrating toxic substances that could eventually enter the food chain.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Initial Attachment and Biofilm Formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Microplastic Surfaces

Researchers characterized how Pseudomonas aeruginosa initially attaches to and forms biofilms on different microplastic surfaces, finding that polymer type and surface properties significantly influenced bacterial colonization patterns and biofilm development.

2022 Applied Sciences 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Biofilm Growth on Microplastics in Freshwaters Using a Passive Flow-Through System

Researchers developed a laboratory flow-through system to study how biofilms grow on microplastics under controlled freshwater conditions. They found that biofilm formation varied depending on the polymer type, water temperature, and nutrient levels, with warmer and more nutrient-rich conditions promoting faster colonization. The study provides a standardized method for assessing how microplastics in freshwater systems become platforms for microbial communities that could include harmful organisms.

2023 Toxics 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm formation on polyethylene microplastics and their role as transfer vector of emerging organic pollutants

This study examined how bacteria form biofilms on polyethylene microplastics and whether those biofilms help transport organic pollutants like common pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Researchers found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa readily colonized microplastics, and the presence of contaminants in the water altered biofilm characteristics. The findings suggest that microplastics in waterways may act as carriers that help spread pharmaceutical and chemical pollutants through aquatic environments.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid Physicochemical Changes in Microplastic Induced by Biofilm Formation

Researchers studied how biofilm formation rapidly changes the physical and chemical properties of microplastics over a two-week period. The study found significant two-way interactions between microbial communities and plastic surfaces, with biofilm colonization altering surface properties of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, while the type of polymer influenced which microbial communities developed.

2020 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 159 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Microplastics as Attachment Media for the Growth of Microorganisms

Researchers reviewed how microplastics serve as attachment media for microbial growth, finding that biofilms forming on microplastic surfaces create unique microbial communities — including potential pathogens — that differ from those in surrounding environments.

2022 Environmental footprints and eco-design of products and processes 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Structural and Functional Characteristics of Microplastic Associated Biofilms in Response to Temporal Dynamics and Polymer Types

Researchers found that biofilm structural and functional characteristics on microplastics differ significantly depending on polymer type (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) and change over time, with implications for understanding microbial colonization and the plastisphere.

2021 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as a novel facilitator for antimicrobial resistance: Effects of concentration, composition, and size on Escherichia coli multidrug resistance

This study examined how microplastics facilitate antimicrobial resistance by acting as a surface for the co-selection of resistant bacteria, finding that plastic surfaces enrich resistance genes and transfer-capable elements in aquatic environments.

2024
Article Tier 2

The Importance of Biofilms to the Fate and Effects of Microplastics

This review examines how biofilms — communities of microorganisms that form on microplastic surfaces — affect the fate and ecological effects of plastic pollution. Biofilm formation alters how microplastics are transported, ingested, and degraded in the environment, and the plastisphere can harbor pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may pose risks to human health.

2020 IntechOpen eBooks 7 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Applied and Environmental Microbiology 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbubble-microplastic interactions in batch air flotation

Researchers explored the role of microplastics as carriers of antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic environments, finding that plastic surfaces harbor higher densities of resistance genes than surrounding water. Biofilm formation on microplastics appears to facilitate horizontal gene transfer.

2022 Chemical Engineering Journal 66 citations
Article Tier 2

An overview – Fate and analysis of marine microplastics with insights into microfluidics, biofilms, and future ecological threats.

This overview examines the fate and analysis of marine microplastics, with focus on microfluidic detection methods, plastisphere biofilm ecology, and future ecological threats from microplastic accumulation in ocean food webs. The authors highlight how microplastic surfaces concentrate toxic contaminants and host distinct microbial communities, amplifying both chemical and biological hazards in marine ecosystems.

2024 Archives of Environmental Protection 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Do microplastics promote the attachment of antimicrobial resistant pathogens?

Researchers examined whether microplastics promote the attachment and persistence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) pathogens, finding that microplastics in aquatic environments frequently co-occur with AMR bacteria and antimicrobial residues, and may facilitate the spread of resistant pathogens.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microbial biofilm formation and community structure on low-density polyethylene microparticles in lake water microcosms

Researchers investigated biofilm formation on low-density polyethylene microparticles in lake water microcosms, finding that microplastic surfaces supported distinct and dynamic microbial communities that differed from those in the surrounding water.

2019 Environmental Pollution 214 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm on microplastics in aqueous environment: Physicochemical properties and environmental implications

This review examines how bacteria and other microorganisms form sticky films called biofilms on microplastic surfaces in water. These biofilms change how microplastics move through the environment and increase their ability to absorb pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, and antibiotics. Biofilm-coated microplastics may also carry harmful bacteria, making them a greater potential health risk than clean microplastic particles.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 353 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Fate and Potential Effects of Microplastic in the Aquatic Environment

Researchers reviewed how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces affects the fate and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilms alter particle buoyancy, surface chemistry, and interactions with organisms.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 1318 citations