Effect of microplastics on antibiotic resistome risk in composting

Yiwen Yang; Xiaoyue Tang; Pengfei Zhang; Chunhao Mo; Feng Huang; Zhiguo Wen

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2025.122241

Effect of microplastics on antibiotic resistome risk in composting

Environ Res. 2025 Jun 25:284:122241. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.122241. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yiwen Yang¹, Xiaoyue Tang², Pengfei Zhang², Chunhao Mo², Feng Huang³, Zhiguo Wen⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Feed Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China; College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. Electronic address: yangyiwen@caas.cn.
² College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
³ School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, China. Electronic address: fhuang@haut.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Feed Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China. Electronic address: wenzhiguo@caas.cn.

PMID: 40578739
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.122241

Abstract

Microplastics are a growing concern worldwide because of their impact on the environment and human health. Composting is an effective method for managing antibiotic resistome risk in organic waste, yet the effects of microplastics on antibiotic resistome risk in composting are not well understood. In this study of laying hen manure, the microplastic polypropylene increased the temperature of the compost but did not significantly affect the total composition, abundance and risk score of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during composting. The dominant phyla on microplastics and manure were Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Escherichia (bin.70), Oceanobacillus (bin.85) and Mycobacterium (bin.79) were the main ARG hosts. Among them, the abundance of the ARG host Mycobacterium (bin.79) was significantly higher in microplastics than in manure. Furthermore, ARG transfer occurred between the ARG host Mycobacterium (bin.79) and other microorganisms on microplastics and manure. These findings indicate that while microplastics may not strongly affect the overall antibiotic resistome risk during composting, they increase the likelihood of horizontal gene transfer in specific ARG hosts. This underscores the critical need to control both microplastic and resistance contamination.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistome; Composting; Manure; Microplastic.