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Microplastic Interaction in the Parasite Infection of Commercial Marine Puffer Fishes (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae) of the Campeche Coast, Mexico
Summary
Scientists studying puffer fish off the coast of Mexico found that fish with more microplastics (tiny plastic particles) in their systems tended to have higher levels of parasite infections and changes in their blood cells, suggesting these plastics may be weakening the fish's immune defenses. Since these puffer fish are commonly caught and sold for food, this matters because it raises questions about whether eating seafood contaminated with microplastics and parasites could pose extra health risks to people—though more research is needed to fully understand that connection.
BACKGROUND: Microplastics (MPs) serve as carriers of toxic compounds, which affects the resistance and susceptibility of fish to acquiring high parasitic infections and diseases. Moreover, the additive effect of MPs and parasites may cause a greater impact on host immunity and health. Despite the importance of the interaction between MPs and parasitic infections in aquatic organisms, these studies are scarce. METHOD: We collected a total of 69 L. laevigatus and 21 S. spengleri from Seybaplaya, Campeche, México, and 20 µl of blood was obtained from each fish for their blood differential. The parasites recovered from each fish were fixed and identified, and the infection parameters were calculated. MPs were identified and classified, then were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and OMNIC software. The data set was analyzed by generalized additive models of location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). RESULTS: Through generalized additive model analysis, we observed a quantitative effect on parasite infection in wild puffer fish associated with MPs, with alteration in the different hematological line cells (ED 78%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We observed significant interaction among the infection levels, the differential blood cells, and MPs. That had a scalar impact of different magnitudes on both fish and human health. Therefore, it is important to understand the impact of MPs on parasitic infections of species considered an economically important resource, such as L. laevigatus and S. spengleri of the Campeche Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.