A fluorescent microscopy image shows phages. Rice University researchers found that chemical-leaching plastics make them susceptible to antibiotic resistant genes. The research lab is at Rice University.
The population's growing resistance to antibiotics may be caused by the Styrofoam container that holds your cheeseburger.
Scientists at Rice University's George R. Brown School of Engineering believe that discarded polystyrene can be used to make microplastics that can be used to make resistance materials.
The ultraviolet aging of microplastics in the environment makes them a good platform for antibiotic-resistant genes. These genes are vulnerable to being attacked by biological enemies that can spread antibiotic resistance to people, lowering their ability to fight infections.
The study was led by Rice civil and environmental engineer Pedro Alvarez and involved researchers in China and the University of Houston.
"We were surprised to discover that microplastic aging enhances horizontal ARG," said the George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the Rice-based Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Center. The impact of microplastics pollution is overlooked.
The researchers found that the high surface areas of the microplastics trap the microbes. The ARGs have an opportunity to invade when the depolymerization chemicals that break the microbes' membranes are degraded.
Microplastic surfaces may serve as aggregation sites for susceptiblebacteria, speeding the transfer of genes by bringing thebacteria into contact with each other and with released chemicals. The synergy could make the environment more favorable to antibiotic resistance even in the absence of antibiotics.
The paper is co-authored by a Rice graduate student, a former Rice researcher, an associate professor, a lecturer, and a professor.
The Journal of Hazardous Materials has more information on the UV-aging of microplastics. There is a DOI for this.
The Journal of Hazardous Materials has information.
Microplastic pollution aids antibiotic resistance was retrieved fromphys.org on December 2, 2021.
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