"This challenges the notion that microplastics are merely passive carriers of resistant bacteria and highlights their role as active hotspots for antimicrobial resistance evolution," lead study author Neila Gross, a Boston University PhD candidate, said in a press release from the American Society for Microbiology.

Microplastics, like the ones pictured here, have been linked to several health concerns. Researchers from Boston University identified another downside to microplastics -- bacteria exposed to them can become resistant to several types of antibiotics. gradt - stock.adobe.com

In a startling discovery, a team of Boston University researchers found that bacteria exposed to microplastics became resistant to multiple types of antibiotics commonly used to treat infections. Microplastics — tiny shards of plastic debris — are all over the planet.

The microscopic shards of plastic found in every corner of the planet may be exacerbating antibiotic resistance, a new study has found.

Cigarette waste may fuel antibiotic resistance, creating new health and environmental risks. Discover the hidden dangers.

The microplastics that pollute the environment and increasingly find their way into humans and animals can help bacteria become drug resistant, according to new research. E. coli bacteria exposed to microplastics in test tubes became resistant to multiple types of commonly used antibiotics,