Papers

20 results
|
Article Tier 2

Do microplastic biofilms promote the evolution and co-selection of antibiotic and metal resistance genes and their associations with bacterial communities under antibiotic and metal pressures?

Researchers investigated whether microplastic biofilms promote the evolution and co-selection of antibiotic and metal resistance genes compared to natural substrates, examining how combined antibiotic and metal pressures shape resistant bacterial communities on plastic surfaces.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 106 citations
Article Tier 2

(Nano)microplastics promote the propagation of antibiotic resistance genes in landfill leachate

Researchers found that (nano)microplastics in municipal landfill leachate actively promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, highlighting landfill sites as dual reservoirs of plastic pollution and antimicrobial resistance threats.

2020 Environmental Science Nano 117 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

Distinguishing removal and regrowth potential of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria on microplastics and in leachate after chlorination or Fenton oxidation

Researchers compared chlorination and Fenton oxidation for removing antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria from microplastics and surrounding landfill leachate, finding that target ARGs on microplastics were reduced significantly less than those in leachate. The study also characterized regrowth potential after treatment, highlighting microplastics as persistent ARG reservoirs.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics enrichment characteristics of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens in landfill leachate

Researchers found that microplastics in landfill leachate serve as surfaces that selectively accumulate antibiotic resistance genes and disease-causing bacteria. Incubation experiments with PET and polypropylene particles showed that pathogens were more abundant on microplastic surfaces than in the surrounding leachate. The study raises concerns that microplastics in landfills may act as vehicles for spreading antibiotic resistance and pathogenic organisms in the environment.

2023 Chemosphere 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics act as vectors for antibiotic resistance genes in landfill leachate: The enhanced roles of the long-term aging process

This study examined whether the aging of microplastics in aquatic environments influences their role as vectors for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Aged microplastics showed different ARG enrichment patterns on their surfaces compared to pristine particles, suggesting that weathering changes the capacity of plastic debris to accumulate and spread antibiotic resistance.

2020 Environmental Pollution 195 citations
Article Tier 2

Selective enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens on polystyrene microplastics in landfill leachate

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and pathogens were found to be selectively enriched on polystyrene microplastics in landfill leachate over a 60-day experiment, with the genes strB and bla showing the greatest enrichment. The microplastic surfaces harbored distinct and more abundant pathogen communities compared to the surrounding leachate, suggesting microplastics act as vectors for ARG and pathogen accumulation.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in landfill leachate

This book chapter reviews how landfills accumulate and release antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into surrounding groundwater and surface water through leachate — with microplastics mentioned as one of many co-contaminants in landfill environments. While the focus is primarily on antimicrobial resistance rather than microplastics specifically, the work is relevant to understanding how plastics in landfills interact with the broader contamination landscape. The findings highlight landfills as underappreciated hotspots for combined chemical and biological pollution entering water supplies.

2023 IWA Publishing eBooks
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as hubs enriching antibiotic-resistant bacteria and pathogens in municipal activated sludge

Researchers demonstrated that microplastics in municipal wastewater treatment plants act as "hubs," selectively concentrating antibiotic-resistant bacteria and pathogens in their surface biofilms, with antibiotic-resistance genes enriched up to 4.5-fold compared to sand particles — raising concerns about microplastics spreading drug-resistant microbes into the environment.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters 181 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics as carriers of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogens in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachate and soil: a review

This review examines how microplastics in landfill leachate and soil can serve as carriers for antibiotic resistance genes and disease-causing bacteria. Researchers describe how microplastic surfaces create favorable environments for bacterial colonization and gene transfer, potentially spreading antimicrobial resistance. The study highlights an underappreciated pathway through which plastic waste in landfills may contribute to the broader antibiotic resistance crisis.

2023 Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of bacterial communities and resistance genes on microplastics to antibiotics and heavy metals in sewage environment

Polyvinyl chloride microplastics in sewage enriched pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes on their surfaces, and the presence of heavy metals and antibiotics altered but did not eliminate this enrichment over time. The findings suggest microplastics in wastewater environments could facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance through the microbial community.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 179 citations
Article Tier 2

The interplay between antimicrobial resistance, heavy metal pollution, and the role of microplastics

This review explores the three-way connection between microplastics, heavy metals, and antibiotic resistance in the environment. Microplastics serve as surfaces where bacteria form biofilms and exchange resistance genes, while heavy metals have been driving bacterial resistance for billions of years through similar genetic mechanisms. Together, these pollutants create hotspots where dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria can develop and spread.

2025 Frontiers in Microbiology 39 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

Microplastics are a hotspot for antibiotic resistance genes: Progress and perspective

This review examines growing evidence that microplastics serve as hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. Researchers found that microplastics selectively accumulate antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes on their surfaces across wastewater, aquatic, and terrestrial environments. The dense bacterial communities and concentrated pollutants on microplastic surfaces create favorable conditions for the spread and evolution of antibiotic resistance, raising concerns about potential risks to human health.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 244 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastisphere may induce the enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes on microplastics in aquatic environments: A review

This first meta-analysis of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) enrichment on microplastics found that ARGs were more abundant on microplastic surfaces than on inorganic substrates or in surrounding water, but less abundant than on natural organic substrates. Freshwater microplastics showed a higher degree of ARG enrichment than those in saline water or sewage.

2022 Environmental Pollution 76 citations
Article Tier 2

How microplastics and nanoplastics shape antibiotic resistance?

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics act as vectors for antibiotic resistance genes, facilitating their spread through environmental and biological systems by creating selective pressure and hosting microbial communities that exchange resistance determinants.

2022 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic biofilm may shape microbial community enriched with antibiotic resistance genes to enhance nitrogen transformation under antibiotic stress

This study found that biofilms growing on PVC microplastics in water helped remove nitrogen pollutants but also concentrated antibiotic resistance genes, with the same bacteria often carrying both pollution-cleaning and drug-resistance capabilities. The findings raise concerns that microplastic pollution in waterways could accelerate the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which poses a growing threat to human health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 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

Distinct bacterial communities and resistance genes enriched by triclocarban-contaminated polyethylene microplastics in antibiotics and heavy metals polluted sewage environment

Researchers investigated how triclocarban contamination on polyethylene microplastics affects bacterial biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) profiles in sewage contaminated with antibiotics and heavy metals. Triclocarban-contaminated microplastics hosted more potential pathogens and resistant bacteria and promoted higher ARG abundance in both biofilms and surrounding water compared to clean microplastics.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations