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Microplastic aging mediates bacterial and antibiotic resistance gene composition in plastisphere and the associated

Yanyu Bao1, Guancheng Liu1, Hanyu Yao1

  • 1Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education) / Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, PR China.

Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|September 19, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) co-occur in soil. Aged MPs alter bacterial communities and promote ARG spread differently in the plastisphere versus soil solution, with horizontal gene transfer being a key driver.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Microbiology
  • Ecotoxicology

Background:

  • Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are prevalent soil contaminants.
  • Existing research highlights MP effects on soil microbes and ARGs, but lacks clarity on habitat-specific variations (plastisphere vs. soil solution) and aging effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of aged MPs on the microbiome and antibiotic resistome in both the plastisphere and surrounding soil solution.
  • To elucidate the differential processes and driving mechanisms of ARG dissemination influenced by MP aging and habitat.

Main Methods:

  • A microcosm experiment was conducted using aged-treated MPs.
  • Bacterial community composition, ARGs, and co-occurrence networks were analyzed in the plastisphere and soil solution.
  • Variance partitioning analysis was used to determine the contribution of horizontal gene transfer via mobile genetic elements (MGEs).

Main Results:

  • MPs of varying aging degrees altered bacterial community structures, with the plastisphere showing unique bacterial enrichment, especially with 7-day aged MPs.
  • MP aging promoted ARG dissemination, with habitat, ARG type, and aging degree influencing the extent.
  • Proteobacteria were consistently enriched by MPs, particularly aged ones, facilitating ARG spread, and primary ARG hosts shifted to the plastisphere.
  • Population-level hosts, bacterial functions, and pathways played roles in ARG dissemination, with greater influence in the soil solution than the plastisphere.
  • Horizontal gene transfer via MGEs was a significant contributor (54-78%) to ARG dissemination in both habitats.

Conclusions:

  • MP aging significantly impacts soil bacterial communities and ARG dissemination patterns.
  • Habitat-specific differences exist in how MPs influence microbial communities and ARG spread.
  • Horizontal gene transfer is a critical mechanism driving ARG dissemination in MP-contaminated soils.
Keywords:
Aged microplasticAntibiotic resistance genesBacterial communityBacterial function and pathwayPopulation hosts

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