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Metagenomic characterization of bacterial communities on beach macroplastics: Insights into antimicrobial resistance and virulence.

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Τίτλος: Metagenomic characterization of bacterial communities on beach macroplastics: Insights into antimicrobial resistance and virulence.
Συγγραφείς: Athira AS; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India; Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, India., Sreejith VN; KSCSTE-Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, India., Megha C; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India., Athira PS; Department of Marine Biology, University of Bremen, Germany., Reshmi K; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India., Murugadas V; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India., Joseph TC; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India. Electronic address: tomscjoseph@gmail.com.
Πηγή: Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) [Environ Pollut] 2026 Sep 15; Vol. 405, pp. 128213. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 11.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8804476 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-6424 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02697491 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Environ Pollut Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Barking, Essex, England : Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, c1987-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Bacteria*/genetics , Bacteria*/classification , Drug Resistance, Bacterial*/genetics , Bathing Beaches* , Microbiota*, Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics ; Virulence ; Metagenomics ; India ; Seashore ; Metagenome
Περίληψη: Macroplastic debris in coastal environments provides stable substrates for microbial colonization, yet comparative assessments with natural substrates remain limited. This study investigated bacterial communities associated with beach macroplastics collected from four sites along the Kochi coast, Kerala, India (Fort Kochi, Cherai, Puthenthode, and Puthuvypin) during the pre-monsoon season, and compared them with those colonizing natural inanimate substrates (driftwood, seaweed, and shells). Composite sampling across multiple transects was employed, and shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to characterize taxonomic composition, functional pathways, antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), and virulence factors. Across all samples, Pseudomonadota (average ∼64.8%) dominated, followed by Bacillota, Actinomycetota, and Bacteroidota. Plastic-associated communities showed greater dominance of specific genera, including Vibrio, Alteromonas, and Pseudoalteromonas, whereas natural substrates exhibited more evenly distributed taxa (Streptomyces, Marinobacter, Sulfitobacter etc). Functional annotation revealed the presence of core metabolic pathways across all samples, while xenobiotic degradation and lipid metabolism pathways were more prominently represented in plastic-associated communities, particularly at urban-influenced sites. A total of 42 ARGs belonging to eight antibiotic classes were identified, with β-lactam resistance genes constituting ∼42% of detected ARGs. Plastic-associated samples showed broader ARG profiles, including blaTEM-116, tetM, and sul1. A total of 73 virulence genes were identified, with plastic samples showing higher abundance of β-lactamase (blaTEM-116, tetM) and adhesion-associated genes (pilA, ompA). In addition, 1264-2046 virulence-related gene hits per site were detected, with consistently higher counts observed in plastic-associated communities. Overall, the findings demonstrate that macroplastics support distinct microbial assemblages and functional gene distributions compared to natural substrates, highlighting their role as microbial habitats in human-impacted coastal environments.
(Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Coastal microbiome; Macroplastics; Metagenomics; Natural inanimate substrates; Virulence factors
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260512 Date Completed: 20260710 Latest Revision: 20260710
Update Code: 20260711
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128213
PMID: 42119966
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
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  Data: Metagenomic characterization of bacterial communities on beach macroplastics: Insights into antimicrobial resistance and virulence.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Athira+AS%22">Athira AS</searchLink>; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India; Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, India.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Sreejith+VN%22">Sreejith VN</searchLink>; KSCSTE-Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, India.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Megha+C%22">Megha C</searchLink>; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Athira+PS%22">Athira PS</searchLink>; Department of Marine Biology, University of Bremen, Germany.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Reshmi+K%22">Reshmi K</searchLink>; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Murugadas+V%22">Murugadas V</searchLink>; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Joseph+TC%22">Joseph TC</searchLink>; ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India. Electronic address: tomscjoseph@gmail.com.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%228804476%22">Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)</searchLink> [Environ Pollut] 2026 Sep 15; Vol. 405, pp. 128213. <i>Date of Electronic Publication: </i>2026 May 11.
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  Data: <i>Publisher: </i><searchLink fieldCode="PB" term="%22Elsevier+Applied+Science+Publishers%22">Elsevier Applied Science Publishers </searchLink><i>Country of Publication: </i>England <i>NLM ID: </i>8804476 <i>Publication Model: </i>Print-Electronic <i>Cited Medium: </i>Internet <i>ISSN: </i>1873-6424 (Electronic) <i>Linking ISSN: </i><searchLink fieldCode="IS" term="%2202697491%22">02697491 </searchLink><i>NLM ISO Abbreviation: </i>Environ Pollut <i>Subsets: </i>MEDLINE
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  Data: <i>Original Publication</i>: Barking, Essex, England : Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, c1987-
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Bacteria%22">Bacteria*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Bacteria+genetics%22">genetics</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Bacteria%22">Bacteria*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Bacteria+classification%22">classification</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Drug+Resistance%2C+Bacterial%22">Drug Resistance, Bacterial*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Drug+Resistance%2C+Bacterial+genetics%22">genetics</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Bathing+Beaches%22">Bathing Beaches*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Microbiota%22">Microbiota*</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Drug+Resistance%2C+Microbial%22">Drug Resistance, Microbial</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Drug+Resistance%2C+Microbial+genetics%22">genetics</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Virulence%22">Virulence</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Metagenomics%22">Metagenomics</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22India%22">India</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Seashore%22">Seashore</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Metagenome%22">Metagenome</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Macroplastic debris in coastal environments provides stable substrates for microbial colonization, yet comparative assessments with natural substrates remain limited. This study investigated bacterial communities associated with beach macroplastics collected from four sites along the Kochi coast, Kerala, India (Fort Kochi, Cherai, Puthenthode, and Puthuvypin) during the pre-monsoon season, and compared them with those colonizing natural inanimate substrates (driftwood, seaweed, and shells). Composite sampling across multiple transects was employed, and shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to characterize taxonomic composition, functional pathways, antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), and virulence factors. Across all samples, Pseudomonadota (average ∼64.8%) dominated, followed by Bacillota, Actinomycetota, and Bacteroidota. Plastic-associated communities showed greater dominance of specific genera, including Vibrio, Alteromonas, and Pseudoalteromonas, whereas natural substrates exhibited more evenly distributed taxa (Streptomyces, Marinobacter, Sulfitobacter etc). Functional annotation revealed the presence of core metabolic pathways across all samples, while xenobiotic degradation and lipid metabolism pathways were more prominently represented in plastic-associated communities, particularly at urban-influenced sites. A total of 42 ARGs belonging to eight antibiotic classes were identified, with β-lactam resistance genes constituting ∼42% of detected ARGs. Plastic-associated samples showed broader ARG profiles, including bla<subscript>TEM-116</subscript>, tetM, and sul1. A total of 73 virulence genes were identified, with plastic samples showing higher abundance of β-lactamase (bla<subscript>TEM-116</subscript>, tetM) and adhesion-associated genes (pilA, ompA). In addition, 1264-2046 virulence-related gene hits per site were detected, with consistently higher counts observed in plastic-associated communities. Overall, the findings demonstrate that macroplastics support distinct microbial assemblages and functional gene distributions compared to natural substrates, highlighting their role as microbial habitats in human-impacted coastal environments.<br /> (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Competing Interests
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  Data: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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  Data: <i>Keywords: </i>Antimicrobial resistance; Coastal microbiome; Macroplastics; Metagenomics; Natural inanimate substrates; Virulence factors
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