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Plastisphere Promotes Gill-Rot Disease: A Retrospective Study on a Sudden Fish Mortality Incident
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A retrospective study linked microplastic pollution to a sudden fish mortality event caused by gill-rot disease in China's Haihe River. Researchers found significantly higher microplastic levels in the gills of dying carp and identified that microplastics promoted the growth and virulence of the pathogenic bacterium Flavobacterium columnare. Laboratory experiments confirmed that multiple microplastic types, including both conventional PET and biodegradable PLA, worsened gill tissue damage by concentrating pathogens on their surfaces.
Plastisphere is a hotspot for some potential pathogens. Herein, a sudden incident of gill-rot disease in the Haihe River, China, is speculated to be related to the effects of the plastisphere. Significantly higher levels of microplastics (MPs) were present in the gills of dying carps identified with gill-rot disease, while Flavobacterium columnare was identified as the main pathogenic microorganism. A six-week simulated exposure experiment was conducted to further confirm the relationship among MPs, Flavobacterium columnare and the pathogens of gill-rot disease. At an exposure concentration reflecting environmental abundance, all four MPs─PET and PLA in fiber and granule forms─were found to promote F. columnare-driven gill tissue damage, pathogen enrichment in the gills, and pathogenic metabolism. Compared to granular and nonbiodegradable PET MPs, fibrous PLA, which exhibited higher retention in the gills and greater microbial affinity, resulted in the highest disease incidence. For the first time, the risk of respiratory infectious diseases in aquatic animals caused by the plastisphere on MPs was presented and demonstrated.
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PlastispherePromotesGill-Rot Disease: A RetrospectiveStudy on a Sudden Fish Mortality Incident
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated a fish mortality event in China's Haihe River, finding that microplastics in dying carps' gills carried elevated levels of Flavobacterium columnare (the gill-rot pathogen) — and a six-week experiment confirmed that microplastic exposure increases susceptibility to this disease.
Microplastics exacerbate virus-mediated mortality in fish
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Researchers discovered that microplastics can significantly worsen virus-related mortality in fish, finding that salmonids co-exposed to a virus and microplastics, particularly microfibers, died at higher rates than fish exposed to the virus alone. Natural non-plastic microparticles did not produce the same effect, indicating a plastic-specific interaction. The study presents evidence that microplastic pollution may amplify the impacts of infectious disease in aquatic populations.
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Researchers found microplastics averaging 288.53 items per liter in freshwater aquaculture ponds in China, dominated by transparent fibers and cellulose particles, and discovered that bacterial communities on microplastic surfaces had significantly higher species richness and diversity than those in surrounding water. The plastisphere communities were enriched with Proteobacteria, including cellulose-degrading and potentially pathogenic species.
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Researchers traced microplastics in river water and fish organs from a South Asian river system, finding widespread contamination across multiple tissue types. The study identified the plastisphere concept as a useful framework for understanding how plastic-associated microbial communities accompany microplastics through aquatic food webs.
Microplastics in Different Tissues of Five Common Fishes from Yuehai Lake: Accumulation, Characterization, and Contamination Assessment
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Researchers examined microplastic contamination in the gills and digestive tracts of five fish species from a Chinese lake, finding that fish eating a wider variety of foods accumulated more particles. Different plastic polymer types dominated in different tissues, confirming that microplastics move through freshwater food webs and reach fish that humans consume.
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