Influence of microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes across diverse environments: A comprehensive meta and machine-learning analysis

Ziyue Yu; Yang Yu; Qiuying An; Li Zhou; Bing Yan

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139042

Influence of microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes across diverse environments: A comprehensive meta and machine-learning analysis

J Hazard Mater. 2025 Jun 23:495:139042. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139042. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ziyue Yu¹, Yang Yu¹, Qiuying An², Li Zhou³, Bing Yan¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Environmental Research at the Greater Bay Area, Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
² Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
³ Institute of Environmental Research at the Greater Bay Area, Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: zhoul@gzhu.edu.cn.

PMID: 40578192
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139042

Abstract

The coexistence of microplastics (MPs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in various environments presents significant ecological risks. However, the influence of MPs properties and environmental conditions shaping ARG dynamics remain unclear. This study utilized meta- and interaction analysis to elucidate how MPs properties (size, concentration, type, and age) and exposure environments drive ARGs fluctuations. Key findings indicate that MPs significantly influenced ARGs abundance in intestinal, sludge, and plant environments, no pronounced effects were observed in soil or water and sediments. Among the MPs properties, size and concentration were the most influential factors, with their impacts varying considerably across environments. In intestinal settings, exposure time and MPs concentration drove ARG proliferation; while the concentration-size interactions of MPs shaped ARGs in sludge environments; MPs size was the primary influencing factor in plant environments, reflecting unique ARG dynamics in these contexts. The study also highlighted significant pairwise interactions, such as MPs concentration and size, underscoring the combined effects of these factors on ARG abundance. Despite these contributions, the study acknowledges limitations, including the limited analysis of aerosolized ARGs and more diverse MPs characteristics. These findings provide valuable insights into the ecological risks of MPs and ARGs and emphasize the importance of tailored mitigation strategies across different environments.

Keywords: ARG dynamics; Antibiotic resistance genes; MPs; Meta-analysis.