SSRP Abstract

Board 35: Disposable Masks as a Source of Antibiotic Resistance in Stormwater Ponds

Student Scientist: Maizy Pratt ’25
Research Mentor: André O. Hudson (Department of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology)

Aquatic plastic pollution is a well-known problem with many familiar consequences, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, a whole new genre of plastic pollution has been introduced to the environment — disposable masks. Studies have shown that bacteria colonize plastics, but not many have examined disposable masks specifically. The purpose of this study is to identify antibiotic resistant and potentially pathogenic bacteria that colonize disposable masks, in order to close gaps in knowledge concerning public health risks associated with modern plastic pollution.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has permanently changed how human beings live and interact with one another in addition to the environment, and one of the most iconic markers of that shift is masks. There is limited research on disposable masks as plastic pollution, especially concerning the potential health risks as a result of harboring and vectoring pathogenic bacteria. Thus, this study identifies pathogenic and antibioticresistant bacteria colonizing masks in stormwater ponds. Masks were collected from multiple ponds in the greater Rochester area. Bacterial cultures were grown and isolated from media, identified via PCR amplification and sequencing of the variable 3 and 4 regions of the 16S rDNA. Assays exposing a subset of these isolated bacteria to antibiotics show the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on disposable masks, and suggest potential for downstream human and environmental health risks.