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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Impacts of microplastic type on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes and horizontal gene transfer mechanism during anaerobic digestion
ClearMetagenomic Analysis Reveals the Effects of Microplastics on Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Sludge Anaerobic Digestion
Researchers used metagenomic analysis to study how microplastics in sewage sludge affect the spread of antibiotic resistance genes during anaerobic digestion. They found that microplastics increased antibiotic resistance gene levels by up to 30 percent, with polyethylene having the strongest effect, and also boosted the mobile genetic elements that help resistance genes spread between bacteria. The findings raise concerns about microplastics facilitating the spread of antibiotic resistance through wastewater treatment systems.
From wastewater to sludge: The role of microplastics in shaping anaerobic digestion performance and antibiotic resistance gene dynamics
This review examines how microplastics in wastewater treatment plants affect the anaerobic digestion process used to break down sewage sludge, finding that certain plastic types can either boost or reduce biogas production depending on conditions. Importantly, microplastics increased the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes by up to 514%, raising serious concerns that wastewater treatment -- meant to protect public health -- may instead become a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria when microplastics are present.
Effects of polypropylene microplastics on digestion performance, microbial community, and antibiotic resistance during microbial anaerobic digestion
Researchers studied how polypropylene microplastics affect the anaerobic digestion process used to treat wastewater sludge. While small amounts of microplastics slightly increased methane production, they also promoted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria in the digesters. This means microplastics in wastewater systems could contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which poses a serious threat to human health.
Different microplastics distinctively enriched the antibiotic resistance genes in anaerobic sludge digestion through shifting specific hosts and promoting horizontal gene flow
Researchers examined how polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect antibiotic resistance genes during sewage sludge digestion and found that both plastic types promoted the spread of resistance genes, but through different mechanisms. Polyethylene surfaces attracted specific bacteria that carry resistance genes, while PVC promoted horizontal gene transfer between organisms. The study raises concerns about wastewater treatment plants becoming hotspots for antibiotic resistance when microplastics are present.
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.
Entry pathways determined the effects of MPs on sludge anaerobic digestion system: The views of methane production and antibiotic resistance genes fates
Researchers examined how the entry pathway of microplastics into sludge affects anaerobic digestion performance and the fate of antibiotic resistance genes. They compared wastewater-derived microplastics with those entering through anaerobic digestion processes and found that the entry pathway significantly influenced both methane production and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. The findings suggest that the source and history of microplastics in sewage sludge matter for downstream treatment outcomes.
[Effects of Typical Microplastics on Methanogenesis and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Anaerobic Digestion of Sludge].
Researchers explored the impacts of polyamide, polyethylene, and polypropylene microplastics on methanogenesis and antibiotic resistance gene dynamics during anaerobic digestion of waste sludge, examining how microplastic contamination affects both biogas production and resistance gene enrichment.
Deciphering the role of polyethylene microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements fate in sludge thermophilic anaerobic digestion process
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements during sewage sludge thermophilic anaerobic digestion. The study found that microplastic contamination increased the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and showed a strong positive correlation between microplastic concentration and mobile genetic element content, suggesting microplastics may promote the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Real-world aged microplastics exacerbate antibiotic resistance genes dissemination in anaerobic sludge digestion via enhancing microbial metabolite communication-driven pilus conjugative transfer
Researchers found that naturally aged microplastics from real-world environments increased antibiotic resistance gene abundance in sludge by 2.59–15.31% compared to unaged controls, with the mechanism identified as enhanced pilus-mediated conjugative transfer driven by microplastic-associated changes in microbial metabolite signaling.
Different effects of bio/non-degradable microplastics on sewage sludge compost performance: Focusing on antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors and key metabolic functions
Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional microplastics affect antibiotic resistance genes and microbial communities during sewage sludge composting. They found that both types of microplastics increased the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes, but non-biodegradable polypropylene had a stronger effect on promoting harmful virulence factors. The study raises concerns that microplastic contamination in composted sludge could spread antibiotic resistance when applied to agricultural land.
Microplastics deteriorate the removal efficiency of antibiotic resistance genes during aerobic sludge digestion
Polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics added to aerobic sludge digesters significantly reduced the removal efficiency of antibiotic resistance genes during digestion, with plastic particles enriching resistant bacteria on their surfaces and impeding the normal treatment-associated decline in ARG abundance, posing a risk for sludge land application.
Fragmented Microplastics Synergize with Biological Treatment To Potentiate Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination during Sewage Treatment
Researchers used metagenomic sequencing and high-throughput qPCR across a full sewage treatment chain to show that fragmented microplastics preferentially concentrate clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes, with MP-bound genes contributing up to 43% of intracellular resistance genes detected in treated effluent, and Acinetobacter emerging as a key resistance indicator.
Phage lysis-mediated reduction of antibiotic-resistant bacteria alleviates micro/nanoplastic-driven antimicrobial resistance dissemination in anaerobic digestion
Researchers used metagenomics to show that micro- and nanoplastics in sewage digesters enrich antibiotic resistance genes by up to 18% and promote the spread of those genes via plasmid transfer, while simultaneously finding that phage viruses — stimulated by plastic stress — kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and partially offset that resistance buildup.
Polystyrene and its dissolved organic matter accelerate antibiotic resistance gene dissemination in anaerobic digestion by posing resistance pressure on functional microorganisms
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics and their released dissolved organic matter both accelerate antibiotic resistance gene dissemination during anaerobic sludge digestion through distinct mechanisms, with metagenomic sequencing and structural equation modeling revealing that MP-DOM exerts stronger effects on horizontal gene transfer than microplastic particles alone.
The impact of various microplastics on bacterial community and antimicrobial resistance genes in Norwegian and South African wastewater
Researchers investigated how various microplastic types affect bacterial community composition and antimicrobial resistance gene prevalence in wastewater treatment plants in Norway and South Africa, examining whether plastic debris promotes antimicrobial resistance dissemination.
Microplastics exacerbate antibiotic resistance by regulating microbial and functional gene dynamics in sludge and food waste composting
Researchers analyzed the impact of polyethylene, polypropylene, and mixed PE+PP microplastics on antibiotic resistance gene propagation during sewage sludge and food waste composting. Microplastics significantly increased ARG abundance — with PE showing the highest enrichment at 2.06 log-fold — by altering microbial community dynamics and promoting horizontal gene transfer through mobile genetic elements.
Size-dependent effects of microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes fate in wastewater treatment systems: The role of changed surface property and microbial assemblages in a continuous exposure mode
Researchers developed a continuous exposure method to evaluate how different sizes of microplastics affect antibiotic resistance gene fate in wastewater treatment, finding that smaller microplastics had greater impacts on microbial communities and resistance gene proliferation.
Insight into effects of polyethylene microplastics in anaerobic digestion systems of waste activated sludge: Interactions of digestion performance, microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes
Polyethylene microplastics in anaerobic digestion systems processing waste activated sludge increased hydrolysis efficiency at 1 mm particle sizes but also altered microbial community composition and enriched antibiotic resistance genes. The findings suggest that MPs in sludge management pose risks for spreading ARGs through land application of digested biosolids.
Polyethylene terephthalate microplastic fibers increase the release of extracellular antibiotic resistance genes during sewage sludge anaerobic digestion
Researchers found that polyethylene terephthalate microplastic fibers increased the release of antibiotic resistance genes during sewage sludge treatment. The microplastic fibers appeared to enhance the active secretion of these genes by bacteria, potentially increasing the spread of antibiotic resistance. This finding raises concerns about microplastics in wastewater acting as an overlooked factor in the growing global challenge of antibiotic resistance.
Enhanced propagation of intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes in municipal wastewater by microplastics
Researchers investigated how microplastics in municipal wastewater can carry and promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, including those found both inside and outside bacterial cells. They found that microplastics adsorbed both types of resistance genes and enhanced their transfer between bacteria through horizontal gene transfer. The study reveals that microplastics in wastewater systems may act as an underappreciated accelerator of antibiotic resistance spread.
Microplastics May Not Proliferate Antibiotic Resistance during Mainstream Anaerobic Treatment
Researchers investigated whether microplastics promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes during anaerobic wastewater treatment. Using specialized testing across multiple microplastic concentrations, they found that microplastics did not significantly increase antibiotic resistance gene levels compared to other microbial environments in the treatment system. The study suggests that concerns about microplastics accelerating antibiotic resistance in anaerobic wastewater treatment may be less significant than previously thought.
Microplastics exhibit accumulation and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes
Researchers investigated whether microplastics in wastewater treatment plants can accumulate and spread antibiotic resistance genes. They found that bacteria growing on microplastic surfaces in treatment tanks harbored antibiotic resistance genes and transferred them at higher rates than bacteria in the surrounding water. This suggests microplastics in wastewater systems may serve as hotspots for spreading antibiotic resistance, posing potential risks to both ecosystems and human health.
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.
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.