Microplastics and Carbapenem Resistance Plasmid Transfer in ICU Patients

Showcasing experimental results on how microplastics enhance the horizontal transfer of carbapenemase resistance plasmids among bacteria in ICU environments. It includes quantified conjugation frequencies and biofilm formation data under simulated ICU conditions, including hyperglycemic media. The study reveals a 3.96-fold increase in plasmid transfer efficiency in the presence of microplastics.

Use Cases

• Analyze the correlation between microplastic presence and quantified conjugation frequencies to model environmental drivers of antibiotic resistance.
• Assess the synergistic effect of simulated diabetic ICU urine environments on plasmid transfer efficiency using the reported 3.96-fold increase metric.
• Model the relationship between MP-induced stimulation of biofilm formation (measured via crystal violet assays) and elevated conjugation efficiencies.
• Compare plasmid transfer rates under plastic-free control conditions versus MP-exposed conditions to isolate the environmental catalyst effect.

Strengths

• Data is derived from controlled laboratory experiments simulating ICU conditions, including hyperglycemic media.
• Results are statistically significant, with p-values < 0.001 for enhanced conjugation rates.
• Findings quantify a specific 3.96-fold increase in plasmid transfer efficiency under synergistic conditions.

Limitations

• The dataset is small at 25.5 KB, indicating limited scope and likely a summary of experimental results rather than raw observational data.
• Specific column structure, row count, and sample data are unavailable, limiting direct analytical utility.
• Data is based on in vitro simulations; direct applicability to real-world, complex ICU environments may be limited.

Provenance

Source

Author Yongliang Ni, published on figshare.

Collection Method

Laboratory experiments co-incubating CRE isolates and carbapenemase-producing plasmids with characterized microplastics under simulated ICU conditions.

Freshness

Last updated March 20, 2026.