Papers

61,005 results
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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

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

In vitro modeling for the aging of nanoplastics: physicochemical characteristics and effect on the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus

Researchers found that nanoplastics change as they age under environmental conditions, altering surface properties and increasing bacterial attachment. Aged nanoplastics promoted Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation more than fresh particles, with potential implications for human health.

2021
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

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.

2023 Chemosphere 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm formation on microplastics and interactions with antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens in aquatic environment

This review explains how microplastics in waterways develop bacterial biofilms on their surfaces that can harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria and help spread antibiotic resistance genes to new environments. This is concerning for human health because these resistant microbes could eventually reach people through drinking water or seafood consumption.

2024 Eco-Environment & Health 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of virulence genes in bacteria associated with microplastics from selected Rivers in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

Researchers investigated virulence genes in bacteria associated with microplastics collected from five rivers in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria over a 24-month biweekly sampling program, isolating 16 bacterial species including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The study characterized antibiotic susceptibility patterns and virulence gene profiles of these microplastic-associated bacteria, highlighting the role of microplastics as vectors for pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant organisms in Nigerian freshwater systems.

2025 International Journal of Science and Research Archive
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

Understanding How Staphylococcal Autolysin Domains Interact With Polystyrene Surfaces

Researchers studied how a protein from Staphylococcus bacteria—which causes healthcare-associated infections—binds to polystyrene plastic surfaces, contributing to biofilm formation on medical devices. Understanding this interaction could help develop strategies to prevent dangerous bacterial biofilms on plastic medical equipment.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as emerging reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance: Clinical relevance and environmental mechanisms

This review examines how microplastics act as environmental reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes, creating selective microenvironments through antibiotic and metal adsorption, biofilm formation, and horizontal gene transfer, with potential pathways to clinical human exposure.

2025 Journal of Clinical and Experimental Investigations
Article Tier 2

Characterization and tolerance of foodborne pathogenic bacteria in microplastic biofilm

Three foodborne pathogens -- Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria -- were shown to form biofilms on microplastic surfaces within two days, with smaller particles supporting more biofilm growth and Salmonella showing partial resistance to sodium hypochlorite disinfection even at 50 ppm.

2024 LWT 9 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

3-Substituted Coumarins Inhibit NorA and MepA Efflux Pumps of Staphylococcus aureus

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper investigates coumarin compounds as inhibitors of antibiotic-resistance efflux pumps in Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

2023 Antibiotics 8 citations
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

Microplastics in marine pollution: Oceanic hitchhikers for the global dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria

This review examines how marine microplastics serve as surfaces for biofilm formation by bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant strains, enabling the global dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria through ocean currents. The authors highlight the plastisphere as an understudied vector for spreading antibiotic resistance genes across marine environments.

2025 One Health 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm formation on microplastics in wastewater: insights into factors, diversity and inactivation strategies

This study investigated how bacteria form biofilms on different types of microplastics in wastewater, finding that polyethylene supported the most biofilm growth, especially in dark, warm, oxygen-rich conditions. The biofilms contained bacteria from groups that include potential human pathogens, and different plastic types supported different microbial communities. This matters because microplastics coated in bacterial biofilms could transport harmful microorganisms through water systems and into the environment.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial biofilms colonizing plastics in estuarine waters, with an emphasis on Vibrio spp. and their antibacterial resistance

Scientists characterized bacterial biofilms colonizing plastic debris in estuarine waters, finding that plastics host distinct communities including Vibrio species with elevated antibiotic resistance compared to surrounding water.

2020 PLoS ONE 104 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

A review focusing on mechanisms and ecological risks of enrichment and propagation of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements by microplastic biofilms

This review examines how microplastics in water serve as surfaces for bacterial biofilms that harbor antibiotic resistance genes. The biofilms that form on microplastic surfaces can spread resistance genes to other bacteria and potentially to organisms that ingest them, including fish and ultimately humans. The authors highlight that microplastic-associated antibiotic resistance is an underappreciated public health risk that needs more research.

2024 Environmental Research 24 citations
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

A review on the effect of micro- and nano-plastics pollution on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance

This review highlights how microplastics serve as breeding grounds for antimicrobial resistance genes, examining the overlooked interaction between plastic pollution and antibiotic resistance that poses combined threats to environmental and human health.

2022 Chemosphere 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of microplastics, antibiotic resistant genes and microplastic associated biofilms in estuary - A review

This review examined evidence for microplastics, antibiotic resistance genes, and microplastic-associated biofilms in estuarine ecosystems. Microplastics in estuaries serve as substrates for diverse microbial biofilms including pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and estuaries are identified as important reservoirs for microplastic-facilitated horizontal gene transfer.

2022 Environmental Engineering Research 12 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

The Plastisphere Resistome: A Systematic Review of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Resistant Bacteria on Microplastics

This systematic review examines whether microplastic-associated biofilms harbor higher levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria compared to surrounding environments. If microplastics act as hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes, they could spread drug-resistant bacteria through water systems, posing a serious concern for human health and the effectiveness of antibiotics.

2026 Open Science Framework
Article Tier 2

The factors affecting bacterial colonisation on microplastics and the impact of tertiary treatment of wastewater on the attached bacteria and microplastics

This study examined the factors that influence bacterial colonization on microplastics and tested how tertiary wastewater treatment affects the bacteria and microplastics discharged from a treatment plant. Microplastic-associated biofilms in wastewater can carry harmful and antibiotic-resistant bacteria into receiving water bodies.

2023