Hello Gopal Krushna Swain
Yes, it may be possibly right, but it has not been proven yet in soil. The possible way that this could happen is as follows.
Plastics are an excellent adsorbent. So, chemical substances and microscopic organisms will willingly stick to it. Under normal condition, we would suppose chemicals like pesticides and heavy metals would ordinarily move through soil quickly. But when plastics come their way, these chemicals would stick around them and get concentrated.
In a similar manner, we would except bacteria and other microorganisms that occur naturally in soil to gather on the stable surfaces of microplastics thereby forming something like a biofilm. Now when these bacteria encounter the chemical substances in their new environment, which are also deposited on plastics, they activate their stress response genes that incidentally help them resist the chemicals including, say sometimes, the antibiotics which may be present among the chemicals deposited on plastic.
As I mentioned above, as the bacteria come together, there may be groups of bacteria attaching to the same surface. So, under such circumstances, there is a likelihood of sharing these genes through a process which we all know, known as horizontal gene transfer. So, bacteria may now use plastic to become more resistant to antimicrobials.
This phenomenon may not have been proven yet, but we should not remain ignorant about it because introduction of drug-resistance superbugs in the food supply is a serious matter for us.
Best.
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