Environmental Research Institute, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Qingdao 266237, China.
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Qingdao 266237, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2024 Mar 5;465:133222. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133222. Epub 2023 Dec 12.
Constructed wetlands (CWs) are reservoirs of microplastics (MPs) in the environment. However, knowledge about the impact of MPs on antibiotic removal and the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is limited. We focused on sulfamethoxazole (SMX) as a representative compound to examine the effects of MPs on SMX removal and the proliferation and dissemination of two SMX-related ARGs (sul1 and sul2) in vertical subsurface-flow CW (VFCW) microcosm. The presence of MPs in the substrate was found to enhance the proliferation of microorganisms owing to the large specific surface area of the MPs and the release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on MP surfaces, which resulted in a high SMX removal ranging from 97.80 % to 99.80 %. However, the presence of MPs promoted microbial interactions and the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs, which led to a significant increase in the abundances of sul1 and sul2 of 68.47 % and 17.20 %, respectively. It is thus imperative to implement rigorous monitoring strategies for MPs to mitigate their potential ecological hazards.
人工湿地（CWs）是环境中微塑料（MPs）的储库。然而，关于 MPs 对抗生素去除的影响以及抗生素抗性基因（ARGs）的命运的知识有限。我们专注于磺胺甲恶唑（SMX）作为代表性化合物，研究 MPs 对 SMX 去除以及两种 SMX 相关 ARGs（sul1 和 sul2）在垂直潜流人工湿地（VFCW）微宇宙中增殖和传播的影响。发现基质中存在 MPs 会由于 MPs 的大比表面积和 MP 表面上溶解有机碳（DOC）的释放而促进微生物的增殖，从而导致高达 97.80%至 99.80%的高 SMX 去除率。然而， MPs 的存在促进了微生物的相互作用和 ARGs 的水平基因转移（HGT），导致 sul1 和 sul2 的丰度分别显著增加了 68.47%和 17.20%。因此，必须实施严格的 MPs 监测策略，以减轻其潜在的生态危害。
