About This Project

Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are emerging contaminants spread widely in the aquatic environment. MPs can provide a niche for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and selectively enrich ARGs, indicating that MPs can increase the risk of ARGs transmission. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, we aim to pinpoint bacterial groups prone to acquiring ARGs on MPs in freshwater ecosystems to address the antibiotic resistance menace effectively.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Once MPs are present in aquatic ecosystems, a biofilm appears on its surface, including pathogens carrying ARGs. We identified these biofilms as 'hot spots' for horizontal gene transfer (HGT). This process affects bacterial evolution and facilitates the spread of various traits, including ARGs. The increasing resistance of bacterial groups to antibiotics poses a significant threat to public health worldwide. Our ongoing experiments focus on understanding how different types of MPs, contribute to HGT. We are keen to know which bacterial groups in freshwater bodies are more likely to attain ARGs after colonizing the MPs. AI will be implemented to find the classification pattern of the bacterial groups acquiring ARGs.

What is the significance of this project?

Identifying bacterial groups more prone to acquiring ARGs will provide insights into how antibiotic resistance spreads in aquatic environments in presence of MPs and predict its environmental impact. This will shed light on the mechanisms driving the increasing antibiotic resistance of bacterial groups in aquatic ecosystems. A culture-independent technique based on the expression of the green fluorescent protein gene (gfp) will be used to monitor HGT. This will also comprise non-culturable or uncultivated microbes. This will be achieved by using a flow cytometry-based method to quantify and isolate antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Moreover, the use of AI and pattern recognition will make the prediction of ARG transmission in presence of MPs possible.

What are the goals of the project?

The project aims to investigate how MPs influence the spread of ARGs among microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems. By studying HGT dynamics within biofilms on MPs, we seek to identify bacterial groups prone to acquiring ARGs and assess the environmental implications of MP-mediated HGT. The data generated will help to predict the permissiveness of ARGs in any water body with known bacterial groups in the presence of MPs. Overall, the study will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of MPs on ARGs transfer and pave the way for strategies to mitigate the spread of antibiotic resistance in natural habitats.