The
increasing and simultaneous pollution of plastic debris and
antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments makes plastisphere a
great health concern. However, the development process of antibiotic
resistome in the plastisphere is largely unknown, impeding risk assessment
associated with plastics. Here, we profiled the temporal dynamics
of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs),
and microbial composition in the plastisphere from initial microbial
colonization to biofilm formation in urban water. A total of 82 ARGs,
12 MGEs, and 63 bacterial pathogens were detected in the plastisphere
and categorized as the pioneering, intermediate, and persistent ones.
The high number of five MGEs
and six ARGs persistently detected in the whole microbial colonization
process was regarded as a major concern because of their potential
role in disseminating antibiotic resistance. In addition to genomic
analysis, D2O-labeled single-cell Raman spectroscopy was
employed to interrogate the ecophysiology of plastisphere in a culture-independent
way and demonstrated that the plastisphere was inherently more tolerant
to antibiotics than bacterioplankton. Finally, by combining persistent
MGEs, intensified colonization of pathogenic bacteria, increased tolerance
to antibiotic, and potential trophic transfer into a holistic risk
analysis, the plastisphere was indicated to constitute a hot spot
to acquire and spread antibiotic resistance and impose a long-term
risk to ecosystems and human health. These findings provide important
insights into the antibiotic resistome and ecological risk of the
plastisphere and highlight the necessity for comprehensive surveillance
of plastisphere.
Antibiotic resistance is a global
health concern. Long-term organic
fertilization can influence the antibiotic resistome of agricultural
soils, posing potential risks to human health. However, little is
known about the contribution of viruses to the dissemination of antibiotic
resistance genes (ARGs) in this context. Here, we profiled the viral
communities and virus-associated ARGs in a long-term (over 10 years)
organic fertilized field by viral metagenomic analysis. A total of
61,520 viral populations (viral operational taxonomic units, vOTUs)
were retrieved, of which 21,308 were assigned at the family level.
The viral community structures were significantly correlated with
the bacterial community structures (P < 0.001)
and the dosage of applied sewage sludge (r
2 = 0.782). A total of 16 unique ARGs were detected in soil viromes,
and the number of virus-associated ARG subtypes was higher in sewage
sludge treatments (except for 1 SS) than others. The network analysis
showed that the application of the organic fertilizer increased the
bacteria–virus interactions, suggesting that the chances of
ARG exchange between viruses and their hosts may increase. Overall,
our results provide a novel understanding about virus-associated ARGs
and factors affecting the profile of viral community in fertilized
soil.
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