Microplastics (MPs) are of increasing concern due to their role as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and pathogens. To date, few studies have explored the influence of anthropogenic activities on ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) within various riverine MPs, in comparison to their natural counterparts. Here an incubation was conducted along heavily anthropogenically-impacted Houxi River to characterize the geographical pattern of antibiotic resistome, mobilome and pathogens inhabiting MPs- and leaf-biofilms. The metagenomics result showed a clear urbanization-driven profile in the distribution of ARGs, MGEs and pathogens, with their abundances sharply increasing 4.77 to 19.90 times from sparsely to densely populated regions. The significant correlation between human fecal marker crAssphage and ARG (R = 0.67, =0.003) indicated the influence of anthropogenic activity on ARG proliferation in plastisphere and natural leaf surfaces. And mantel tests and random forest analysis revealed the impact of 17 socio-environmental factors, e.g., population density, antibiotic concentrations, and pore volume of materials, on the dissemination of ARGs. Partial least squares-path modeling further unveiled that intensifying human activities not only directly boosted ARGs abundance but also exerted a comparable indirect impact on ARGs propagation. Furthermore, the polyvinylchloride plastisphere created a pathogen-friendly habitat, harboring higher abundances of ARGs and MGEs, while polylactic acid are not likely to serve as vectors for pathogens in river, with a lower resistome risk score than that in leaf-biofilms. This study highlights the diverse ecological risks associated with the dissemination of ARGs and pathogens in varied MPs, offering insights for the policymaking of usage and control of plastics within urbanization.

中文翻译：

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城市化影响下河流塑料圈抗生素抗性组和移动组生态风险的宏基因组学见解


微塑料 (MP) 由于其作为抗生素抗性基因 (ARG) 和病原体储存库的作用而受到越来越多的关注。迄今为止，很少有研究探讨与自然对应物相比，人类活动对各种河流 MP 内 ARG 和移动遗传元件 (MGE) 的影响。这里，沿着受严重人为影响的后溪河进行了孵化，以表征抗生素抗性组、移动组和MPs和叶子生物膜中的病原体的地理模式。宏基因组学结果显示，ARG、MGE和病原体的分布具有明显的城市化驱动特征，其丰度从人口稀疏地区到人口稠密地区急剧增加4.77至19.90倍。人类粪便标记物crAssphage和ARG之间的显着相关性（R=0.67，=0.003）表明人为活动对塑料球和天然叶表面中ARG增殖的影响。壁炉架测试和随机森林分析揭示了人口密度、抗生素浓度和材料孔隙体积等 17 种社会环境因素对 ARG 传播的影响。偏最小二乘路径模型进一步揭示，人类活动的加强不仅直接增加了 ARG 的丰度，而且还对 ARG 的传播产生了类似的间接影响。此外，聚氯乙烯塑料球创造了一个对病原体友好的栖息地，含有更高丰度的ARG和MGE，而聚乳酸不太可能作为河流中病原体的载体，其抗药性风险评分低于叶生物膜。 这项研究强调了与不同议员中 ARG 和病原体传播相关的多种生态风险，为城市化进程中塑料使用和控制的政策制定提供了见解。