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Microbial Bioindicators for Monitoring the Impact of Emerging Contaminants on Soil Health in the European Framework

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Visca

    (Department for Sustainability, ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Casaccia Research Center, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy)

  • Luciana Di Gregorio

    (Department for Sustainability, ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Casaccia Research Center, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy)

  • Manuela Costanzo

    (Department for Sustainability, ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Casaccia Research Center, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy)

  • Elisa Clagnan

    (Department for Sustainability, ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Casaccia Research Center, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
    Gruppo Ricicla Labs, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali—Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia (DiSAA), Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy)

  • Lorenzo Nolfi

    (Department for Sustainability, ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Casaccia Research Center, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
    Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, 00100 Viterbo, Italy)

  • Roberta Bernini

    (Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, 00100 Viterbo, Italy)

  • Alberto Orgiazzi

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Via E. Fermi, 2749, 21027 Varese, Italy
    European Dynamics, Rue de la Loi 67, 1040 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Arwyn Jones

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Via E. Fermi, 2749, 21027 Varese, Italy)

  • Francesco Vitali

    (Research Center for Agriculture and Environment, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-AA), Via di Lanciola, 12A, 50023 Florence, Italy)

  • Stefano Mocali

    (Research Center for Agriculture and Environment, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-AA), Via di Lanciola, 12A, 50023 Florence, Italy)

  • Annamaria Bevivino

    (Department for Sustainability, ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Casaccia Research Center, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is recognized by the World Health Organization as a major threat to human health, and recent studies highlight the role of microplastics (MPs) in its spread. MPs in the environment may act as vectors for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Bacterial communities on the plastisphere, the surface of MPs, are influenced by plastic properties, allowing ARB to colonize and form biofilms. These biofilms facilitate the transfer of ARGs within microbial communities. This study analyzed data from the LUCAS soil dataset (885 soil samples across EU countries) using the Emu tool to characterize microbial communities at the genus/species level. Functional annotation via PICRUSt2, supported by a custom tool for Emu output formatting, revealed significant correlations between the genera Solirubrobacter , Bradyrhizobium , Nocardioides , and Bacillus with pathways linked to microplastic degradation and antibiotic resistance. These genera were consistently present in various soil types (woodland, grassland, and cropland), suggesting their potential as bioindicators of soil health in relation to MP pollution. The findings underscore MPs as hotspots for ARB and ARGs, offering new insights into the identification of bioindicators for monitoring soil health and the ecological impacts related to MP contamination.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Visca & Luciana Di Gregorio & Manuela Costanzo & Elisa Clagnan & Lorenzo Nolfi & Roberta Bernini & Alberto Orgiazzi & Arwyn Jones & Francesco Vitali & Stefano Mocali & Annamaria Bevivino, 2025. "Microbial Bioindicators for Monitoring the Impact of Emerging Contaminants on Soil Health in the European Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-16, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:1093-:d:1579717
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Maëva Labouyrie & Cristiano Ballabio & Ferran Romero & Panos Panagos & Arwyn Jones & Marc W. Schmid & Vladimir Mikryukov & Olesya Dulya & Leho Tedersoo & Mohammad Bahram & Emanuele Lugato & Marcel G. , 2023. "Patterns in soil microbial diversity across Europe," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, December.
    2. Maëva Labouyrie & Cristiano Ballabio & Ferran Romero & Panos Panagos & Arwyn Jones & Marc W. Schmid & Vladimir Mikryukov & Olesya Dulya & Leho Tedersoo & Mohammad Bahram & Emanuele Lugato & Marcel G. , 2023. "Publisher Correction: Patterns in soil microbial diversity across Europe," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-1, December.
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