Tire Wear Particle Microbiome-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Function as Potent Vectors Amplifying Antimicrobial Resistance Risk in Soil Ecosystems

Tire
wear particles (TWPs), a ubiquitous and characteristic pollutant
of the Anthropocene, are emerging as a critical environmental hotspot
for pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Despite
concentrating these threats, the nanoscale mechanisms driving ARG
dissemination from TWPs remain elusive. Here, we identify bacterial
extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a critical, yet overlooked, vector
for resistance transfer within the TWP plastisphere. We found that
the TWP microhabitat stimulated a significantly higher proportion
of colonizing potential pathogens to release EVs (46.3%) compared
to bulk soil and water combined (7.3%). Moreover, these TWP-derived
EVs were selectively enriched with critical ARGs, notably those conferring
multidrug and tetracycline resistance. Functionally, we confirmed
that these ARG-loaded EVs could transfer resistance traits, significantly
enhancing the survival of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1
and Escherichia coli DH5α under antibiotic
stress. Together, our findings demonstrate that TWPs induce colonized
pathogens to release ARG-carrying EVs, which subsequently enhance
the phenotypic antibiotic resistance of recipient pathogenic bacteria.
This study reveals that TWP-derived EVs serve as a bridge between
environmental and clinical resistomes, representing a new urbanization-driven
pathway in the antimicrobial resistance crisis.