Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Detection of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. Originated from cultivated oysters and estuarine waters

This study detected antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in oysters and estuarine waters, raising concerns about how aquatic environments serve as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance that can reach humans through seafood consumption. The findings are relevant to microplastic research because microplastics are known to harbor and concentrate antibiotic resistance genes on their surfaces.

2021
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Bacterial Isolates Associated with Microplastics and their Resistance to Antibiotics from Rivers Ureje, Emirin, Ogbese, Odo-Ayo and Elemi in Ado- Ekiti, Ekiti- State, Nigeria

Researchers isolated bacteria from five rivers in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria associated with microplastic surfaces and tested their antibiotic resistance profiles, finding that microplastics harbored pathogenic bacteria including E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella typhi with multi-drug resistance patterns.

2025 Journal of applied science and environmental management
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

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

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.

2025 Water Research 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Issues on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Colonizing Plastic Waste in Aquatic Ecosystems

Researchers found antibiotic-resistant bacteria colonizing plastic waste submerged in an inland water body, including species related to human pathogens like Klebsiella. All isolated bacteria showed high resistance to multiple antibiotics, and they carried numerous antibiotic resistance genes. This is concerning because plastic waste in waterways can serve as a platform for drug-resistant bacteria to multiply and potentially spread to humans through contaminated water.

2024 Antibiotics 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The Travelling Particles: Investigating microplastics as possible transport vectors for multidrug resistant E. coli in the Weser estuary (Germany)

Scientists tested whether microplastics in the Weser estuary in Germany carry multidrug-resistant ESBL-producing E. coli, finding resistant bacteria on plastic surfaces at concentrations above surrounding water, confirming that microplastics can serve as vectors for antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 89 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating microplastic occurrences in coastal surface seawaters and their potential role as transport vectors for multidrug-resistant E. coli

Researchers investigated microplastic occurrences in coastal surface seawaters and examined whether microplastics serve as transport vectors for multidrug-resistant E. coli, addressing a gap in comparable long-term data on microplastic contamination in aquatic systems. The thesis found that microplastics in coastal environments can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria, raising concerns about their role in spreading antimicrobial resistance.

2024 Swinburne Research Bank (Swinburne University of Technology)
Article Tier 2

Potential of waterbodies as a reservoir ofEscherichia colipathogens and the spread of antibiotic resistance in the Indonesian aquatic environment

This review analyzes the factors driving the spread of pathogenic Escherichia coli and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Indonesian aquatic environments, including antibiotic misuse, inadequate waste treatment, and poor industrial waste management. Indonesian rivers serve as vectors for both pathogenic E. coli and antimicrobial resistance genes, posing significant public health risks.

2023 Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of the Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli Populations from Water and Biofilm in River Environments

Researchers compared antibiotic resistance in E. coli populations from river water versus sediment and biofilm samples at locations upstream and downstream of urban areas in Austria. They found that biofilm and sediment environments harbored bacteria with higher rates of antibiotic resistance compared to the water column. The study suggests that river biofilms may serve as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, with implications for how pollutants including microplastics interact with microbial communities.

2024 Pathogens 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct profile of bacterial community and antibiotic resistance genes on microplastics in Ganjiang River at the watershed level

Researchers investigated microplastic pollution and associated bacterial communities, human pathogenic bacteria, and antibiotic resistance genes across the Ganjiang River watershed. They found microplastics were widely distributed with an average of 407 particles per cubic meter, and that microplastic surfaces harbored significantly higher bacterial diversity and more antibiotic resistance genes than surrounding water or sediment.

2021 Environmental Research 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli Populations from Water or Sediment in Rivers Environments

This study compared antibiotic-resistant E. coli in river water and sediment, examining how bacteria form biofilms and stabilize resistance in these environments. Microplastics in aquatic environments are known to promote biofilm formation and concentrate antibiotic resistance genes, amplifying this public health concern.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge on the antibiotic resistome in downstream aquatic environments: a mini review

This review summarizes how wastewater treatment plants release antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes into rivers and lakes through their treated water. Current treatment processes cannot fully remove these resistance factors, allowing them to spread in downstream water bodies and potentially reach humans through drinking water and the food chain. The review is relevant to microplastics research because microplastics in wastewater can serve as surfaces where resistant bacteria grow and spread.

2023 Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 31 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Water Research 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in microplastic-associated bacterial communities along a salinity gradient in Central Anatolian lakes of Türkiye

Researchers examined bacterial communities growing on microplastic surfaces across 11 Turkish lakes spanning a wide range of salinity levels. They found that Pseudomonadaceae bacteria dominated the microplastic biofilms, and several salt-tolerant pathogenic species were detected on plastic surfaces even in highly saline lakes. The study highlights that microplastics can serve as vehicles for potentially harmful bacteria across diverse freshwater environments.

2025 Hydrobiologia 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in a dam lake in Turkey: type, mesh size effect, and bacterial biofilm communities

Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in Sureyyabey Dam Lake in Turkey, comparing MP detection using 300 μm and 100 μm mesh nets and characterizing MP type, shape, color, and polymer composition at four sampling stations. The study also found bacterial biofilm communities growing on MP surfaces in both water and net-captured samples, highlighting MPs as microbial colonization substrates in freshwater reservoirs.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 71 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

Enrichment of Antibiotic Resistance Genes on Plastic Waste in Aquatic Ecosystems, Aquatic Animals, and Fishery Products

This review examines how plastic waste in water creates surfaces where antibiotic-resistant bacteria thrive and share resistance genes with each other. Microplastics in rivers, oceans, and fish farms were consistently found to harbor more antibiotic resistance genes than natural materials like rocks or sand. Since fish and shellfish can accumulate these microplastic-associated resistant bacteria, there is a risk that drug-resistant infections could reach humans through the seafood supply chain.

2025 Antibiotics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Environmental Pollution 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Urbanization on Antibiotic Resistome in Different Microplastics: Evidence from a Large-Scale Whole River Analysis

Researchers conducted a large-scale river survey across urbanization gradients and characterized antibiotic resistance genes on microplastics from each zone, finding that urbanization level strongly predicted the diversity and abundance of resistance genes on plastic surfaces.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 100 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Water Research 140 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

Microplastic-associated biofilms in a river catchment: Diversity, public health impact, and ecosystem risks

Researchers used environmental DNA analysis to study biofilm-forming microorganisms on microplastics in the Melen River catchment, a key water source for Istanbul. They found that polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common polymers year-round, and these surfaces harbored pathogenic bacteria including Acinetobacter and Flavobacterium. The study highlights that microplastics serve as vectors for harmful microorganisms, posing risks to both public health and aquatic ecosystems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations