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Determining Antimicrobial Resistance in the Plastisphere: Lower Risks of Nonbiodegradable vs Higher Risks of
Gaoyang Luo1, Lu Fan2, Bin Liang1
1State Key Laboratory of Urban-rural Water Resource and Environment School of Eco-Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Environmental Science & Technology
|April 9, 2025
Summary
Biodegradable microplastics pose a higher antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risk than nonbiodegradable ones. This study highlights the role of microplastic degradation in spreading resistance genes, impacting public and environmental health.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research
- Environmental health science
Background:
- The plastisphere, a microbial community on plastic debris, is implicated in the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
- Quantifying the differential AMR risk posed by biodegradable versus nonbiodegradable microplastics remains a critical knowledge gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically quantify and compare the AMR risk associated with biodegradable and nonbiodegradable microplastics.
- To identify key factors and mechanisms driving AMR in the plastisphere.
Main Methods:
- Utilized abundance-based methods and a custom AMR risk ranking framework incorporating antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) abundance, mobility, and host pathogenicity.
- Employed machine learning analysis to identify AMR risk signatures.
- Conducted metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) analysis to investigate gene colocalization.
Main Results:
- Biodegradable microplastics demonstrated a significantly higher AMR risk than nonbiodegradable plastics.
- Predominant resistance genes included those for multidrug, bacitracin, and aminoglycoside resistance.
- Cell motility was identified as a key factor in ARG dissemination; microplastic degradation promoted oxidative stress, SOS responses, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT).
- MAGs analysis revealed colocalization of microplastic degradation genes, ARGs, and virulence factors (VFs), with ARGs often located near mobile genetic elements (MGEs).
Conclusions:
- Biodegradable microplastics represent a more significant AMR risk due to enhanced ARG dissemination and horizontal gene transfer.
- Microplastic degradation processes may facilitate the mobility of ARGs, contributing to AMR spread.
- Findings underscore the need for integrated One Health strategies to address AMR in the plastisphere.
