Microplastics extracted from agricultural soil (IMAGE)

University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Microplastics extracted from agricultural soil

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Microplastic fragments like these, isolated from farm soil in Illinois, may provide pathogenic bacteria the perfect substrate to develop antibiotic resistance and transfer related genes to neighboring bacteria. A new University of Illinois review paper calls for greater study to clarify the interaction between microplastics and microbes where our food is grown.

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Jayita De and Pratik Banerjee, University of Illinois

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