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MICROPLASTICS AS VECTORS OF OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGENS AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT GENES IN WATERS IMPACTED BY TREATED WASTEWATER EFFLUENTS
Citation:
Molina, M., S. Eytcheson, AND S. Purucker. MICROPLASTICS AS VECTORS OF OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGENS AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT GENES IN WATERS IMPACTED BY TREATED WASTEWATER EFFLUENTS. ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting/American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, NA,SPAIN, June 04 - 09, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
This research will provide information about the impact of microplastics in the environment and the presence of pathogens and antibiotic resistant bacteria that colonizes the different types of microplastics.
Description:
Plastic pollution is ubiquitous worldwide. Smaller pieces of plastic (<5 mm) denominated as microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern because they can be easily transported throughout the environment. As they travel, MPs can adsorb chemicals or nutrients, and develop a biofilm housing a diverse microbial community, potentially containing bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). High- and low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) MPs were incubated in mesocosm channels amended with treated wastewater (TWW) effluent to assess the impact of polymer type on the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and pathogens in the plastisphere (ecosystem surrounding MPs). Samples were collected at 2, 6, and 10 weeks of incubation and analyzed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction markers for ARGs, integrase I1 (intI1), and the opportunistic pathogens Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A significant difference was observed in the microbial community between water and MPs; however, no difference was observed in the alpha diversity among plastic types exposed to either TWW or just river water. Duration of exposure contributed with the most variability in the microbial community and significantly increased the abundance of intI1, S. maltophilia, and P. aeruginosa, but not of sulfonamide 1. This study supports the notion that MP pieces in the environment may become reservoirs for pathogens and may facilitate transport of ARB in environmental waters.
