Wu Jiayi, Liu Congcong, Wang Rui, Yan Saitao, Chen Baoliang, Zhu Xiaoying
Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China.
Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China.
Water Res. 2023 Aug 15;242:120319. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120319. Epub 2023 Jul 5.
The microbial biofilm formed on plastics, is ubiquitous in the environment. However, the effects of antibiotic resistance on the development of the biofilm on plastics, especially with regard to initial cell attachment, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the initial bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm growth of a rifampin (Rif) resistant E. coli (RRE) and a normal gram-positive B. subtilis on a typical plastic (polyethylene, PE). The experiments were conducted in different antibiotic solutions, including Rif, sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and kanamycin (KM), with concentrations ranging from 1 to 1000 μg/L to simulate different aquatic environments. The AFM-based single-cell adhesion force determination revealed that Rif resistance strengthened the adhesion force of RRE to PE in the environment rich in Rif rather than SMX and KM. The enhanced adhesion force may be due to the higher secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), particularly proteins, by RRE in the presence of Rif compared to the other two antibiotics. In addition, the higher ATP level of RRE would facilitate the initial adhesion and subsequent biofilm growth. Transcriptome analysis of RRE separately cultured in Rif and SMX environments demonstrated a clear correlation between the expression of Rif resistance and the augmented bacterial adhesion and cellular activity. Biofilm biomass analysis confirmed the promotion effect of Rif resistance on biofilm growth when compared to non-resistant biofilms, establishing a novel association with the augmentation of microbial adhesion force. Our study highlights concerns related to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance during microbial colonization on plastic that may arise from antibiotic resistance.
形成于塑料表面的微生物生物膜在环境中普遍存在。然而，抗生素耐药性对塑料表面生物膜形成的影响，尤其是对初始细胞附着的影响，仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们调查了耐利福平（Rif）的大肠杆菌（RRE）和正常革兰氏阳性枯草芽孢杆菌在典型塑料（聚乙烯，PE）上的初始细菌黏附及随后的生物膜生长情况。实验在不同抗生素溶液中进行，包括利福平、磺胺甲恶唑（SMX）和卡那霉素（KM），浓度范围为1至1000μg/L，以模拟不同的水生环境。基于原子力显微镜的单细胞黏附力测定表明，在富含利福平而非SMX和KM的环境中，RRE对PE的黏附力增强。黏附力增强可能是由于与其他两种抗生素相比，RRE在利福平存在时细胞外聚合物（EPS），尤其是蛋白质的分泌量更高。此外，RRE较高的ATP水平将促进初始黏附及随后的生物膜生长。对分别在利福平和SMX环境中培养的RRE进行转录组分析表明，利福平耐药性的表达与细菌黏附增强和细胞活性之间存在明显相关性。生物膜生物量分析证实，与非耐药生物膜相比，利福平耐药性对生物膜生长具有促进作用，从而建立了与微生物黏附力增强的新关联。我们的研究强调了在塑料上微生物定殖过程中，抗生素耐药性可能导致的抗生素耐药性传播相关问题。
