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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Deciphering the pathogenic risks of microplastics as emerging particulate organic matter in aquatic ecosystem
ClearSelective 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.
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.
Microplastics can selectively enrich intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistant genes and shape different microbial communities in aquatic systems
Researchers examined how microplastics of different types selectively capture antibiotic resistance genes and shape microbial communities in aquatic systems. They found that microplastics enriched both intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes, with the enrichment patterns varying by plastic type. The study suggests that microplastics may serve as hotspots for the spread of antimicrobial resistance in wastewater and natural water environments.
Microplastics accumulate priority antibiotic-resistant pathogens: Evidence from the riverine plastisphere
Researchers placed microplastics in river water and found they accumulated more antibiotic-resistant bacteria than natural sand particles, including dangerous pathogens like E. coli and Klebsiella. Most of the bacteria isolated from the plastic surfaces were multi-drug resistant and carried virulence traits like biofilm formation. This suggests microplastics in waterways may act as rafts for spreading antibiotic resistance through the environment.
Antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors in the plastisphere in wastewater treatment plant effluent: Health risk quantification and driving mechanism interpretation
Researchers found that microplastics in treated wastewater carry significantly more disease-causing bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes, and virulence factors on their surfaces compared to the surrounding water. This means microplastics released from wastewater treatment plants into rivers and lakes could spread antibiotic-resistant infections, posing a direct risk to communities that rely on these water sources.
Presence of microplastic particles increased abundance of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes in microbial communities from the Oder river water and sediment
Researchers incubated microplastic particles in water from the Oder River and found that bacteria growing on the plastic surfaces had significantly higher levels of disease-causing organisms and antibiotic resistance genes compared to surrounding water. This suggests that microplastics in rivers and waterways serve as platforms that concentrate harmful bacteria and help spread drug resistance, posing risks to communities that depend on these water sources.
Evidence of selective enrichment of bacterial assemblages and antibiotic resistant genes by microplastics in urban rivers
Researchers sampled microplastics from two urban rivers in China and found that the bacterial communities colonizing plastic particles were distinctly different from those in the surrounding water. The microplastic-associated bacteria had lower diversity but higher proportions of biofilm-forming species and functions linked to human disease. Notably, the study found that microplastics selectively enriched antibiotic resistance genes, raising concerns about plastics serving as reservoirs for drug-resistant bacteria.
Understanding the mechanism of microplastic-associated antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic ecosystems: Insights from metagenomic analyses and machine learning
By analyzing large-scale genetic datasets with machine learning, researchers found that the type of microplastic strongly influences which bacteria grow on it and which antibiotic resistance genes those bacteria carry. Surprisingly, biodegradable plastics like PLA (often marketed as eco-friendly) posed a higher risk of harboring antibiotic resistance genes than conventional plastics, raising concerns about resistance spreading through water systems to humans.
Microbiological perspectives on the effects of microplastics on the aquatic environment
This review examines how microplastics interact with microorganisms in aquatic environments, highlighting risks to microbial communities and the potential for microplastics to disrupt ecosystem functions. Microplastics may alter microbial diversity and promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Evaluating the role of microplastics and wastewater in shaping Vibrio spp. and antibiotic resistance gene abundance in urban freshwaters
Researchers sampled water and microplastic biofilms from urban South African rivers and found that microplastics disproportionately enriched Vibrio spp. and tetracycline resistance genes relative to the surrounding water, suggesting microplastics selectively concentrate pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes.
Increasing microplastics pollution: An emerging vector for potentially pathogenic bacteria in the environment
Researchers collected microplastics from a river basin in Turkey and found that disease-causing bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli, and Staphylococcus, readily form colonies on plastic particle surfaces. This means microplastics floating in water can act as tiny rafts carrying harmful bacteria, potentially increasing infection risks when contaminated water is used for drinking or recreation.
Selective enrichment of high-risk antibiotic resistance genes and priority pathogens in freshwater plastisphere: Unique role of biodegradable microplastics
This study found that biodegradable microplastics like polylactic acid (PLA) -- often marketed as eco-friendly -- actually attracted more dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria than conventional plastics in freshwater. The biodegradable plastics selectively enriched high-priority pathogens carrying multiple resistance genes, meaning they could help spread antibiotic resistance through water systems that ultimately affect human health.
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.
Can Microplastic Pollution Change Important Aquatic Bacterial Communities?
Microplastics in coastal sediments can change the composition of important bacterial communities that cycle nutrients and maintain ecosystem health. Microplastic-associated bacteria differ significantly from natural sediment bacteria, with potential consequences for the chemical processes these communities perform.
Antibiotic resistant bacteria colonising microplastics in the aquatic environment: An emerging challenge
Researchers reviewed how microplastics in aquatic environments act as surfaces where antibiotic-resistant bacteria can grow and swap resistance genes with each other, raising concern that contaminated seafood and water could transfer these hard-to-treat bacteria to humans.
Size effects of microplastics on antibiotic resistome and core microbiome in an urban river
Scientists found that microplastics in an urban river serve as platforms for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and dangerous pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Legionella pneumophila. Larger microplastic particles harbored more antibiotic resistance genes, and the concentrations of these genes were much higher on plastic surfaces than in the surrounding water. This research raises concerns that microplastics in waterways could spread drug-resistant infections by providing a surface where dangerous bacteria thrive and share resistance genes.
Selective enrichment of antibiotic resistome and bacterial pathogens by aquatic microplastics
This review found that microplastics in aquatic environments selectively enrich antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resistance genes, and bacterial pathogens in their biofilms, making plastic debris a potential vector for spreading antimicrobial resistance.
Contribution of microplastic particles to the spread of resistances and pathogenic bacteria in treated wastewaters
Researchers studied microplastic particles collected from treated wastewater effluents and found that MPs harbored significantly higher loads of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogenic bacteria compared to surrounding water, suggesting MPs facilitate their environmental spread.
Microplastics in fresh- and wastewater are potential contributors to antibiotic resistance - A minireview
Researchers reviewed the link between microplastic pollution and the spread of antibiotic resistance in freshwater environments, finding that microplastic surfaces host unique bacterial communities enriched in antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the resistance genes they can share with other microbes. The close packing of bacteria in these plastic-surface biofilms may accelerate the spread of drug-resistant pathogens through drinking water sources, though the full health implications remain poorly understood.
Polymer type and aging drive the selective enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens in microplastics biofilms
Researchers compared how microorganisms colonize conventional polypropylene versus biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics in a wetland environment. They found that while biodegradable PLA attracted fewer total microbes, it actually enriched a higher proportion of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and resistance genes, especially after environmental aging. The findings raise important questions about whether biodegradable plastics may pose unexpected risks as carriers of antibiotic resistance in aquatic ecosystems.
Uniqueness and Dependence of Bacterial Communities on Microplastics: Comparison with Water, Sediment, and Soil
Researchers compared bacterial communities on microplastics with those in water, sediment, and soil in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, finding that microplastic-associated communities are unique in composition and ecological function compared to surrounding environments.
Selective colonization of microplastics, wood and glass by antimicrobial-resistant and pathogenic bacteria (article)
Researchers investigated whether microplastics selectively enrich antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) and pathogenic bacteria compared to natural substrates such as wood and glass in aquatic environments. By including appropriate natural comparator particles - a step often omitted in prior Plastisphere studies - the study provided empirical evidence on the unique risks microplastics pose as reservoirs for AMR pathogens.
Metagenomic insights into environmental risk of field microplastics in an urban river
Metagenomic analysis of microplastics sampled along an urban river watershed revealed that MP-associated microbial communities carried antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors at higher levels than surrounding water, with composition shifting along the river gradient. The findings confirm microplastics as environmental vectors for spreading antimicrobial resistance.
Wastewater discharges and polymer type modulate the riverine plastisphere and set the role of microplastics as vectors of pathogens and antibiotic resistance
Researchers investigated how wastewater treatment plant discharges and polymer type shape microbial communities on microplastics in a river environment. They found that microplastics harbored significantly higher microbial diversity than surrounding water, and that wastewater discharges led to a 2.3-fold increase in antibiotic resistance gene abundance on the plastic surfaces. Different polymer types, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET, each attracted distinct microbial communities with varying levels of pathogens and resistance genes.