Promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates

Microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes are two new pollutants in water environments, and they have potential risks to human health and ecological safety. On the basis of the accumulation of pollutants and microorganisms in sediment, macrobenthic invertebrates are considered as potential pract...

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Main Authors: Jing Ma, Chunhong Lv, Zheng Gong, Kai Zhang, Shu Wang, Rui Li, Kang Chen, Feng Zhu, Deya Wang, Zhigang Qiu, Chengshi Ding
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325003355
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author Jing Ma
Chunhong Lv
Zheng Gong
Kai Zhang
Shu Wang
Rui Li
Kang Chen
Feng Zhu
Deya Wang
Zhigang Qiu
Chengshi Ding
author_facet Jing Ma
Chunhong Lv
Zheng Gong
Kai Zhang
Shu Wang
Rui Li
Kang Chen
Feng Zhu
Deya Wang
Zhigang Qiu
Chengshi Ding
author_sort Jing Ma
collection DOAJ
description Microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes are two new pollutants in water environments, and they have potential risks to human health and ecological safety. On the basis of the accumulation of pollutants and microorganisms in sediment, macrobenthic invertebrates are considered as potential practitioners of microplastic degradation and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) transfer. However, whether microplastic degradation can affect ARG transfer in aquatic environments, especially in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates, remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that microplastics including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride(PVC), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polyurethane (PU), and ARGs including tetA, sul1, sul2, and sul3 were widely distributed in sediment and benthic invertebrates in Nansi lake. The distribution of ARGs was related to the number and size of microplastic particles. In particular, it was found for the first time that the content of ARGs corresponding to individual particles was linearly and negatively correlated with the size of microplastics. The results of animal feeding experiments showed that microplastic degradation in the gut of Chironomidae larvae could promote the conjugative transfer of ARGs. The underlying molecular mechanism was SOS response. This study provides a new method for the analysis of the interaction effect of multiple pollutants in freshwater environments.
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spelling doaj-art-65bdb6a61b8748fb9d1fd74fe96432f92025-08-20T02:50:48ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-03-0129311799910.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.117999Promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebratesJing Ma0Chunhong Lv1Zheng Gong2Kai Zhang3Shu Wang4Rui Li5Kang Chen6Feng Zhu7Deya Wang8Zhigang Qiu9Chengshi Ding10College of Life Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277160, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277160, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277160, ChinaKey Laboratory for Synergistic Prevention of Water and Soil Environmental Pollution, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, Henan Province 464000, ChinaTai'erzhuang District People's Hospital, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277499, ChinaTai'erzhuang District People's Hospital, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277499, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277160, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277160, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277160, China; Corresponding authors.Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin 300050, China; Corresponding authors.College of Life Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong Province 277160, China; Corresponding authors.Microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes are two new pollutants in water environments, and they have potential risks to human health and ecological safety. On the basis of the accumulation of pollutants and microorganisms in sediment, macrobenthic invertebrates are considered as potential practitioners of microplastic degradation and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) transfer. However, whether microplastic degradation can affect ARG transfer in aquatic environments, especially in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates, remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that microplastics including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride(PVC), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polyurethane (PU), and ARGs including tetA, sul1, sul2, and sul3 were widely distributed in sediment and benthic invertebrates in Nansi lake. The distribution of ARGs was related to the number and size of microplastic particles. In particular, it was found for the first time that the content of ARGs corresponding to individual particles was linearly and negatively correlated with the size of microplastics. The results of animal feeding experiments showed that microplastic degradation in the gut of Chironomidae larvae could promote the conjugative transfer of ARGs. The underlying molecular mechanism was SOS response. This study provides a new method for the analysis of the interaction effect of multiple pollutants in freshwater environments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325003355Microplastic degradationConjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genesPromotionGut of macrobenthic invertebrates
spellingShingle Jing Ma
Chunhong Lv
Zheng Gong
Kai Zhang
Shu Wang
Rui Li
Kang Chen
Feng Zhu
Deya Wang
Zhigang Qiu
Chengshi Ding
Promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Microplastic degradation
Conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes
Promotion
Gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
title Promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
title_full Promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
title_fullStr Promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
title_full_unstemmed Promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
title_short Promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
title_sort promotion of microplastic degradation on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
topic Microplastic degradation
Conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes
Promotion
Gut of macrobenthic invertebrates
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325003355
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