ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
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2024
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IF 6.7
Hong-Zhe Li,Wen-Jing Li,Zi-Jian Wang,Qing-Lin Chen,Mia Kristine Staal Jensen,Min Qiao,Li Cui
Plastic pollution represents a critical threat to soil ecosystems and even humans, as plastics can serve as a habitat for breeding and refuging pathogenic microorganisms against stresses. However, evaluating the health risk of plastispheres is difficult due to the lack of risk factors and quantification model. Here, DNA sequencing, single-cell Raman-D2O labeling, and transformation assay were used to quantify key risk factors of plastisphere, including pathogen abundance, phenotypic resistance to various stresses (antibiotic and pesticide), and ability to acquire antibiotic resistance genes. A Bayesian network model was newly introduced to integrate these three factors and infer their causal relationships. Using this model, the risk of pathogen in the plastisphere is found to be nearly 3 magnitudes higher than that in free-living state. Furthermore, this model exhibits robustness for risk prediction, even in the absence of one factor. Our framework offers a novel and practical approach to assessing the health risk of plastispheres, contributing to the management of plastic-related threats to human health.
研究领域:
环境微生物学
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生物统计学
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生态毒理学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
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2022
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IF 13.352
Ruilong Li,Longji Zhu,Li Cui,Yong-Guan Zhu
Microplastics (MPs) have been considered as a new vector for the long-distance transport of pathogens in aquatic ecosystems. However, the composition of viral communities attached on MPs and their environmental risk are largely unknown. Here, we profiled the viral diversity and potential risk in five different MPs collected from the Beilun River based on metagenomic analysis. Nearly 2863 million raw reads were produced and assembled, and annotation resulted in the identification of 1719 different species of viruses in MPs. Viruses in polypropylene (PP) displayed the highest diversity, with about 250 specific viruses detected. Source tracking of viruses in MPs by the fast expectation–maximization microbial source tracking method (FEAST) demonstrated that viruses in upstream and downstream MPs are two major sources of viruses in estuary. Furthermore, the MP-type-dependent potential environmental risk of viruses was significant based on both antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs) detected in viral metagenomes, and PP was confirmed with the highest potential environmental risk. This study reveals the high diversity and potential environmental risk of viruses in different MPs, and provides an important guidance for future environmental monitoring and understanding the potential risks associated with both viral transmission and MPs pollution.
研究领域:
环境科学
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微生物学
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生态学
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基因组学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
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2025
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IF 7.7
Huan-Qin Li,Wen-Lei Wang,Ying-Jia Shen,Jian-Qiang Su
Microplastics (MPs) are critical vectors for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs); however, the prevalence and ecological risks of high-risk ARGs in mangrove ecosystems—globally vital yet understudied coastal habitats—remain poorly understood. To address this gap, this study investigated polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride incubated in mangrove sediments for one month, focusing on high-risk ARGs, virulence gene (VGs), and pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria within the mangrove plastisphere. High-throughput PCR and metagenomic analyses revealed that high-risk ARGs, VGs, and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were significantly enriched on MPs compared to surrounding sediments. Pathogenic bacteria and MGEs were also more abundant in the plastisphere, highlighting its role as a hotspot for ARG dispersal. Metagenome-assembled genome analysis identified Pseudomonas and Bacillus as key hosts for ARGs, MGEs, and VGs, particularly multidrug resistance genes, integrase genes, and adherence factors. Notably, polystyrene harbored the highest abundance of pathogenic bacteria carrying ARGs, MGEs, and VGs, and mangrove root exudates were found to amplify horizontal gene transfer on MPs, uncovering a previously overlooked mechanism driving antibiotic resistance in coastal ecosystems. These findings not only elucidate how MPs accelerate the spread of ARGs, but also underscore the urgent need for targeted mitigation strategies to address the adverse impacts microplastic pollution on human, animal, and environmental health.
研究领域:
环境科学
·
微生物学
·
生态学
·
基因组学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
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