Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat. Antibiotics, heavy metals, and microplastics are environmental pollutants that together potentially have a positive synergetic effect on the development, persistence, transport, and ecology of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment. To evaluate this, a wide array of experimental methods would be needed to quantify the occurrence of antibiotics, heavy metals, and microplastics as well as associated microbial communities in the natural environment. In this mini-review, we outline the current technologies used to characterize microplastics based ecosystems termed “plastisphere” and their AMR promoting elements (antibiotics, heavy metals, and microbial inhabitants) and highlight emerging technologies that could be useful for systems-level investigations of AMR in the plastisphere.
Highlights
The increasing resistance of pathogenic bacteria to common antibiotics (AB) found in human and veterinary settings worldwide (WHO, 2018) highlights the urgent need for improved surveillance programs (Dadgostar, 2019) and research to hinder further escalation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, 2019)
Absorption of light and mass-to-charge ratio are used to measure the content of heavy metals (HMs) within and on the surface of MPs via atomic absorption spectroscopy (Brennecke et al, 2016; Cabral et al, 2016; Munier and Bendell, 2018) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (Rochman et al, 2014; Cabral et al, 2016; Imhof et al, 2016), respectively (Figure 2)
Working with monoculture bacteria does not mimic the true situation of microbial interaction in the environment, possible impact of HMs and plastics on the proteomics/metabolomics level in different types of bacteria is currently still a research gap in need of investigation
Summary
The increasing resistance of pathogenic bacteria to common antibiotics (AB) found in human and veterinary settings worldwide (WHO, 2018) highlights the urgent need for improved surveillance programs (Dadgostar, 2019) and research to hinder further escalation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, 2019). Absorption of light and mass-to-charge ratio are used to measure the content of HMs within and on the surface of MPs via atomic absorption spectroscopy (Brennecke et al, 2016; Cabral et al, 2016; Munier and Bendell, 2018) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (Rochman et al, 2014; Cabral et al, 2016; Imhof et al, 2016), respectively (Figure 2) The latter being the gold standard for detecting and characterizing metals. Technology has allowed indepth analysis of HMs and ABs, there is a knowledge gap on how the affinity for pollutants differs from MPs and NPs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
