Papers

20 results
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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

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

Plastisphere enrich antibiotic resistance genes and potential pathogenic bacteria in sewage with pharmaceuticals

Researchers investigated how tetracycline, ampicillin, and triclosan affected antibiotic resistance genes and microbial communities on PVC and PE biofilms in sewage, finding that MPs enriched multidrug resistance genes and mobile genetic elements, with PE promoting greater microbial attachment than PVC.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 126 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

Early and differential bacterial colonization on microplastics deployed into the effluents of wastewater treatment plants

Researchers deployed seven types of microplastic materials into the effluents of two wastewater treatment plants and characterised bacterial communities colonising them after an early biofilm formation period using 16S rRNA sequencing. They found significantly higher bacterial diversity on microplastics than in the surrounding free-living water, and detected elevated antibiotic resistance genes (sulI, tetM) on microplastic surfaces, suggesting that WWTP effluents seed microplastics with pathogen- and resistance gene-carrying biofilms.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 109 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

The stress response of tetracycline resistance genes and bacterial communities under the existence of microplastics in typical leachate biological treatment system

Researchers studied how polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics affect tetracycline resistance genes and bacterial communities in a leachate biological treatment system. They found that microplastics served as hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes, with biofilms on the plastic surfaces harboring significantly higher gene abundances than the surrounding liquid. The study suggests that microplastics in waste treatment systems may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 11 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

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

Microplastic biofilm as hotspots of antibiotic resistance genes and potential pathogens

This review examined how microplastic biofilms—the plastisphere—serve as hotspots for antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) accumulation and potential pathogen enrichment. The authors described mechanisms by which microplastic surfaces promote horizontal gene transfer and bacterial community shifts that favor ARG-carrying strains, raising concern that microplastics accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments.

2025 npj Biofilms and Microbiomes
Article Tier 2

Regulation of ARGs abundance by biofilm colonization on microplastics under selective pressure of antibiotics in river water environment

Researchers investigated how biofilms forming on microplastics in river water affect the spread of antibiotic resistance genes under antibiotic pressure. They found that the presence of antibiotics accelerated biofilm colonization on microplastic surfaces and significantly increased the abundance of resistance genes compared to conditions without antibiotics. The study suggests that microplastics in waterways may serve as hotspots for the development and transfer of antibiotic resistance.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-occurrence of microplastics and triclosan inhibited nitrification function and enriched antibiotic resistance genes in nitrifying sludge

Researchers found that co-exposure to four types of microplastics (PE, PS, PVC, and PA) and the antimicrobial agent triclosan inhibited nitrification function and enriched antibiotic resistance genes in nitrifying sludge from wastewater treatment. The combined presence of microplastics and triclosan posed greater risk to biological wastewater treatment performance than either contaminant alone.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Selective enrichment of antibiotic resistome and bacterial pathogens by aquatic microplastics

This review found that microplastics in aquatic environments selectively enrich antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resistance genes, and bacterial pathogens in their biofilms, making plastic debris a potential vector for spreading antimicrobial resistance.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Selection of antibiotic resistance genes on biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics

This study examined antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) occurrence in biofilms forming on biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics in marine ecosystems. It found that microplastic surfaces selected for ARG-enriched microbial communities, with polymer type influencing which resistance genes were enriched, raising concerns about microplastics facilitating ARG spread.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 150 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

Detection of faecal bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in biofilms attached to plastics from human-impacted coastal areas

Researchers analyzed biofilms on marine plastics collected from coastal areas impacted by human sewage in the Mediterranean Sea and found faecal bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes present on the plastic surfaces. The plastics harbored bacterial communities including potential pathogens like Vibrio species, with biofilm composition differing between floating plastics and those in sediments. The findings suggest that marine plastics can act as vectors for both faecal contamination and antibiotic resistance in coastal environments.

2022 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-based microplastics as vectors of resistance genes under combined pressure of antibiotics and heavy metals in marine environment

Researchers compared biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance gene accumulation on conventional polyethylene versus bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics in marine environments exposed to antibiotics and heavy metals. They found that while polyethylene was more conducive to initial bacterial colonization, PLA microplastics were more likely to serve as carriers of resistance genes under experimental conditions. The study suggests that bio-based plastics may contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance in marine environments.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
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

Biofilm formation strongly influences the vector transport of triclosan-loaded polyethylene microplastics

Researchers found that biofilm formation on polyethylene microplastics strongly influences their role as vectors for triclosan transport, with biofouled microplastics showing altered pollutant sorption capacity and different toxicity effects on Daphnia magna.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the role of microplastics and wastewater in shaping Vibrio spp. and antibiotic resistance gene abundance in urban freshwaters

Researchers sampled water and microplastic biofilms from urban South African rivers and found that microplastics disproportionately enriched Vibrio spp. and tetracycline resistance genes relative to the surrounding water, suggesting microplastics selectively concentrate pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes.

2025 Scientific Reports