Browsing by Author "Kvindesland, Karen"
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- Determining microbiota and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) associated with plastics from different sourcesPublication . Kvindesland, Karen; Serafim, Maria Angela; Marathe, NachiketPlastic wastes and its dissemination into the marine environment pose a serious threat to the marine ecosystems. Plastic surfaces are inhabited by the microbial communities that may be parthenogenic and carry antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The aim of the current study was to investigate the differences in microbes present in biofilms on different plastics that are present in different matrices like wastewater (WW) and seawater (SW) using culture-dependent approach. We investigated the biofilm composition of three common plastic polymers; polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS), by conducting a controlled laboratory experiment using SW and WW as matrices. Bacterial isolates were obtained from WW and SW as background. Biofilms were successfully established on all polymer types and dominated by Pseudomonas spp. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed the presence of multidrug resistant bacteria, including potential human pathogen Klebsiella oxytoca. Although differences in isolated genera were observed between polymers, the differences were not statistically significant. We isolated multidrug resistant potential pathogens from plastic biofilms, which we were not able to isolate from background matrix previously. Thus, suggesting that plastic surfaces may enrich clinically important antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). This study highlights the role of plastic in dissemination of potential pathogens and ARGs into the receiving aquatic environments and underlines the potential public health risks associated with of plastic pollution in the environment.