The microplastics that pollute the environment and increasingly find their way into humans and animals can help bacteria become drug resistant, according to new research.
E.coli bacteria exposed to microplastics in test tubes became resistant to multiple types of commonly used antibiotics, Boston University researchers said in a report published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology on Tuesday.
The minuscule bits of plastics provide a surface that the bacteria attach to and colonize, study leader Neila Gross explained in a statement. Once attached to any surface, they create a biofilm - a sticky substance that acts like a shield - protecting the bacteria from invaders and keeping them affixed securely.
"We found that the biofilms on microplastics, compared to other surfaces like glass, are much stronger and thicker," preventing antibiotics from penetrating the shield, Gross said.
Even when the microplastics were removed from the test tubes, the bacteria retained the ability to form stronger biofilms, the researchers also found.
"The presence of plastics is doing a whole lot more than just providing a surface for the bacteria to stick - they are actually leading to the development of resistant organisms," coauthor Muhammad Zaman said in a statement.
The findings are especially concerning for people in high-density, impoverished areas like refugee settlements, where discarded plastic piles up and bacterial infections spread easily, the researchers said.
They said such environments should be monitored for microplastic-related antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses.
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