We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Plastic pollution as a novel reservoir for the environmental survival of the drug resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris
Summary
This study investigated the effects of nanoplastics on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, finding dose-dependent inhibition of seed germination and root elongation. Uptake of fluorescent polystyrene nanoplastics was confirmed by confocal microscopy, showing accumulation in root epidermal cells and suggesting active uptake mechanisms in plant tissues.
The WHO recently classified Candida auris as a fungal pathogen of "critical concern". Evidence suggests that C. auris emerged from the natural environment, yet the ability of this pathogenic yeast to survive in the natural environment is still poorly understood. The aim of this study, therefore, was to quantify the persistence of C. auris in simulated environmental matrices and explore the role of plastic pollution for facilitating survival and potential transfer of C. auris. Multi-drug resistant strains of C. auris persisted for over 30 days in river water or seawater, either planktonically, or in biofilms colonising high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or glass. C. auris could be transferred from plastic beads onto simulated beach sand, particularly when the sand was wet. Importantly, all C. auris cells recovered from plastics retained their pathogenicity; therefore, plastic pollution could play a significant role in the widescale environmental dissemination of this recently emerged pathogen.