Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Soil plastispheres as hotspots of antibiotic resistance genes and potential pathogens

Researchers investigated microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes on microplastic surfaces (the plastisphere) in soil environments. They found that plastispheres harbor enriched levels of potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes compared to surrounding soil, and that adding manure or increasing temperature and moisture further amplified these concerning microbial communities.

2021 The ISME Journal 387 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of florfenicol on soil bacterial community structure and diversity by high throughput sequencing analysis

This paper is not directly about microplastics; it studies how the antibiotic florfenicol affects soil bacterial community structure and diversity at various concentrations and time points, finding measurable disruption to microbial populations even at low doses.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial Diversity in Estuarine Sediments in Brazilian Coastal: a Focus in Bacterial Resistance

This paper is not about microplastics; it characterizes bacterial diversity and antibiotic resistance genes in estuarine sediments from Brazilian mangroves, examining how human effluents shape microbial communities.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Antibiotic resistance in urban soils: Dynamics and mitigation strategies

This review examines how urban soils act as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, with microplastics identified as one of the sources spreading antibiotics and resistance genes through soil. The resistant bacteria can transfer to humans through direct contact, food, and water. The findings highlight an underappreciated way that microplastic pollution in cities could contribute to the growing antibiotic resistance crisis.

2024 Environmental Research 16 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Sources, interactions, influencing factors and ecological risks of microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes in soil: A review

Microplastics in soil serve as hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes, with the plastisphere — the microbial community colonizing plastic surfaces — facilitating horizontal gene transfer of resistance markers. Key factors driving this interaction include microplastic properties, soil chemistry, and agricultural practices, though research in soil environments is still at an early stage compared to aquatic systems.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Abiotic Stressors on Soil Microbial Communities: A Focus on Antibiotics and Their Interactions with Emerging Pollutants

This review examines how environmental stressors, especially antibiotics, affect the microbial communities that keep soil healthy and fertile. It also covers how antibiotics interact with other emerging pollutants like microplastics and heavy metals in soil. When microplastics carry antibiotics into soil, the combination can promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which is a growing concern for human health.

2024 Soil Systems 16 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

An Overview of Antibiotic Resistance and Abiotic Stresses Affecting Antimicrobial Resistance in Agricultural Soils

This systematic review found that soil contaminants from organic and chemical fertilizers, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and untreated sewage sludge significantly promote antimicrobial resistance by increasing the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soils. Abiotic stresses like salinity and drought further amplify this effect. The findings connect to microplastic research because microplastics have been shown to serve as vectors for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes in soil environments.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Oil spills, coastal pollution, and antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from soil across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal coastlines

This paper examines how oil tanker traffic causes coastal oil spill pollution along the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea coastlines, and finds that contaminated soils harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While the study touches on ocean pollution broadly, it is not focused on microplastics.

2023
Article Tier 2

Tracking antibiotic resistance genes in microplastic-contaminated soil

Researchers used metagenomics to track antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soils with long histories of plastic mulch use across eight Chinese provinces, identifying 204 subtypes of resistance genes alongside thousands of mobile genetic elements, demonstrating that microplastic-contaminated soils are significant reservoirs for antibiotic resistance spread.

2022 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Bioindicators for Monitoring the Impact of Emerging Contaminants on Soil Health in the European Framework

This study analyzed soil samples from across EU countries to investigate how microplastics may help spread antibiotic resistance. Researchers found that bacterial communities on microplastic surfaces can harbor antibiotic resistance genes, and the plastisphere environment facilitates the transfer of these genes between microbes. The findings suggest microplastics in soil could serve as hotspots for antibiotic resistance, posing potential risks to human health.

2025 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Correlation appraisal of antibiotic resistance with fecal, metal and microplastic contamination in a tropical Indian river, lakes and sewage

Researchers sampled water from Indian urban rivers, lakes, and sewage plants and found that antibiotic-resistant bacteria correlated with fecal contamination and microplastic presence, especially for certain antibiotics, while fluoroquinolone resistance appeared more linked to seasonal temperature. The study suggests microplastics may help spread antibiotic resistance in urban waterways, adding a new dimension to concerns about plastic pollution.

2020 npj Clean Water 125 citations
Article Tier 2

Sewers to Seas: exploring pathogens and antimicrobial resistance on microplastics from hospital wastewater to marine environments

Researchers tracked microplastics from hospital wastewater through sewers to coastal seas to determine whether the plastisphere on these particles uniquely enriches antimicrobial-resistant and pathogenic bacteria beyond what is found on other environmental substrates.

2025 Environment International
Article Tier 2

Polyvinyl chloride microplastics disseminate antibiotic resistance genes in Chinese soil: A metagenomic analysis

Researchers used metagenomic analysis to investigate how polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in Chinese soils. They found that PVC microplastics significantly influenced soil bacterial community composition and increased the abundance of certain antibiotic resistance genes. The study raises concerns that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils may accelerate the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The formation of specific bacterial communities contributes to the enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes in the soil plastisphere

Researchers used metagenomic approaches to study how microplastic surfaces in soil become enriched with antibiotic resistance genes through the formation of specific bacterial communities. The study tested three types of microplastics at two particle sizes and found that antibiotic resistance gene abundances significantly increased in the plastisphere compared to surrounding soil. Evidence indicates that microplastics in soil may serve as hotspots for the spread of antibiotic resistance.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 59 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

Effect of polyethylene microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes: A comparison based on different soil types and plant types

This study compared how polyethylene microplastics affect antibiotic resistance genes across different soil types and found that contaminated soils and the presence of certain plants influenced which resistance genes proliferated. The results suggest that microplastics in agricultural soil can help spread antibiotic resistance, which is a serious concern for human health because resistant bacteria can enter the food supply through crops.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance and Characteristics of Microplastics in the Soil of a Higher Education Institution in China

Researchers quantified microplastics in soil across a Chinese university campus, finding contamination in teaching, recreational, and residential areas, highlighting the understudied exposure risk at higher education institutions.

2023 Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastisphere and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in a 40-year-old abandoned coastal landfill site in Chile.

Researchers characterized plastisphere microbial communities on plastics in a 40-year-old abandoned coastal landfill in Chile, finding that antibiotic resistance genes were present at 67% of sampled sites. The study showed landfills can act as reservoirs for clinically significant bacteria and may spread resistance genes into nearby wetlands and oceans.

2025 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

Biofilm-associated microplastic contamination in rural soil and water: emerging hazards to ecosystems

Researchers found significant microplastic contamination in soil and water near rural dumpsites in areas with poor waste management, with polystyrene and PET being the most common plastic types. The microplastic surfaces were colonized by bacteria that showed resistance to the antibiotic streptomycin, highlighting a dual threat of chemical pollution and drug resistance. These findings show that unregulated rural waste disposal creates hotspots where microplastics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria can enter local water supplies.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of “sachet water” microplastic on agricultural soil physicochemistry, antibiotics resistance, bacteria diversity and function

Researchers added microplastics from sachet water packaging to agricultural soil in Nigeria and assessed effects on soil physicochemistry, bacterial diversity, and antibiotic resistance. Microplastic addition altered soil pH, water retention, and microbial community structure, and increased the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

2022 SN Applied Sciences 8 citations