Plastic leachate exposure drives antibiotic resistance and virulence in marine bacterial communities.

Vlaanderen, EJ; Ghaly, TM; Moore, LR; Focardi, A; Paulsen, IT; Tetu, SG

Plastic leachate exposure drives antibiotic resistance and virulence in marine bacterial communities.

Vlaanderen, EJ Ghaly, TM Moore, LR Focardi, A

Paulsen, IT Tetu, SG

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER SCI LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Environ Pollut, 2023, 327, pp. 121558
Issue Date:: 2023-06-15

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Vlaanderen, EJ
dc.contributor.author	Ghaly, TM
dc.contributor.author	Moore, LR
dc.contributor.author	Focardi, A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0340-4225
dc.contributor.author	Paulsen, IT
dc.contributor.author	Tetu, SG
dc.date.accessioned	2024-03-28T03:00:06Z
dc.date.available	2023-04-02
dc.date.available	2024-03-28T03:00:06Z
dc.date.issued	2023-06-15
dc.identifier.citation	Environ Pollut, 2023, 327, pp. 121558
dc.identifier.issn	0269-7491
dc.identifier.issn	1873-6424
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/177325
dc.description.abstract	Plastic pollution is a serious global problem, with more than 12 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the oceans every year. Plastic debris can have considerable impacts on microbial community structure and functions in marine environments, and has been associated with an enrichment in pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. However, our understanding of these impacts is largely restricted to microbial assemblages on plastic surfaces. It is therefore unclear whether these effects are driven by the surface properties of plastics, providing an additional niche for certain microbes residing in biofilms, and/or chemicals leached from plastics, the effects of which could extend to surrounding planktonic bacteria. Here, we examine the effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic leachate exposure on the relative abundance of genes associated with bacterial pathogenicity and AMR within a seawater microcosm community. We show that PVC leachate, in the absence of plastic surfaces, drives an enrichment in AMR and virulence genes. In particular, leachate exposure significantly enriches AMR genes that confer multidrug, aminoglycoside and peptide antibiotic resistance. Additionally, enrichment of genes involved in the extracellular secretion of virulence proteins was observed among pathogens of marine organisms. This study provides the first evidence that chemicals leached from plastic particles alone can enrich genes related to microbial pathogenesis within a bacterial community, expanding our knowledge of the environmental impacts of plastic pollution with potential consequences for human and ecosystem health.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER SCI LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	Environ Pollut
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121558
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.classification	Environmental Sciences
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Virulence
dc.subject.mesh	Plastics
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Drug Resistance, Microbial
dc.subject.mesh	Bacteria
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Bacteria
dc.subject.mesh	Plastics
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Drug Resistance, Microbial
dc.subject.mesh	Virulence
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Virulence
dc.subject.mesh	Plastics
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem
dc.subject.mesh	Drug Resistance, Microbial
dc.subject.mesh	Bacteria
dc.title	Plastic leachate exposure drives antibiotic resistance and virulence in marine bacterial communities.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	327
utslib.location.activity	England
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2024-03-28T03:00:05Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	327

Abstract:

Plastic pollution is a serious global problem, with more than 12 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the oceans every year. Plastic debris can have considerable impacts on microbial community structure and functions in marine environments, and has been associated with an enrichment in pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. However, our understanding of these impacts is largely restricted to microbial assemblages on plastic surfaces. It is therefore unclear whether these effects are driven by the surface properties of plastics, providing an additional niche for certain microbes residing in biofilms, and/or chemicals leached from plastics, the effects of which could extend to surrounding planktonic bacteria. Here, we examine the effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic leachate exposure on the relative abundance of genes associated with bacterial pathogenicity and AMR within a seawater microcosm community. We show that PVC leachate, in the absence of plastic surfaces, drives an enrichment in AMR and virulence genes. In particular, leachate exposure significantly enriches AMR genes that confer multidrug, aminoglycoside and peptide antibiotic resistance. Additionally, enrichment of genes involved in the extracellular secretion of virulence proteins was observed among pathogens of marine organisms. This study provides the first evidence that chemicals leached from plastic particles alone can enrich genes related to microbial pathogenesis within a bacterial community, expanding our knowledge of the environmental impacts of plastic pollution with potential consequences for human and ecosystem health.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/177325