iThree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia; South Australian Research and Development Institute, Primary Industries and Regions SA, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia.
Environ Pollut. 2022 Jan 15;293:118506. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118506. Epub 2021 Nov 15.
Nanosilver (NAg) is currently one of the major alternative antimicrobials to control microorganisms. With its broad-spectrum efficacy and lucrative commercial values, NAg has been used in medical devices and increasingly, in consumer products and appliances. This widespread use has inevitably led to the release and accumulation of the nanoparticle in water and sediment, in soil and even, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This Article describes the physical and chemical transformations of NAg as well as the impact of the nanoparticle on microbial communities in different environmental settings; how the nanoparticle shifts not only the diversity and abundance of microbes, including those that are important in nitrogen cycles and decomposition of organic matters, but also their associated genes and in turn, the key metabolic processes. Current findings on the microbiological activity of the leached soluble silver, solid silver particulates and their respective transformed products, which underpin the mechanism of the nanoparticle toxicity in environmental microbes, is critically discussed. The Article also addresses the emerging evidence of silver-driven co-selection of antibiotic resistance determinants. The mechanism has been linked to the increasing pools of many antibiotic resistance genes already detected in samples from different environmental settings, which could ultimately find their ways to animals and human. The realized ecological impact of NAg calls for more judicial use of the nanoparticle. The generated knowledge can inform strategies for a better 'risks versus benefits' assessment of NAg applications, including the disposal stage.
纳米银（NAg）是目前控制微生物的主要替代抗菌剂之一。由于其广谱功效和可观的商业价值，NAg 已被用于医疗器械，并越来越多地用于消费品和电器。这种广泛的使用不可避免地导致纳米颗粒在水和沉积物、土壤甚至废水处理厂（WWTP）中的释放和积累。本文描述了 NAg 的物理化学转化以及纳米颗粒对不同环境中微生物群落的影响；纳米颗粒不仅改变了微生物的多样性和丰度，包括在氮循环和有机物分解中重要的微生物，还改变了它们相关的基因，进而改变了关键的代谢过程。本文还讨论了当前关于浸出可溶性银、固体银颗粒及其各自转化产物的微生物活性的发现，这些发现为纳米颗粒在环境微生物中的毒性机制提供了依据。本文还提到了银驱动抗生素耐药决定因素共同选择的新证据。这一机制与已经在不同环境样本中检测到的许多抗生素耐药基因的增加有关，这些基因最终可能会进入动物和人体。NAg 已经产生的生态影响要求更谨慎地使用纳米颗粒。所产生的知识可以为更好地评估 NAg 应用的“风险与收益”提供信息，包括处置阶段。
