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Toxicity and Microecological Responses of Daphnia magna and Danio rerio to PVC and PHA Microplastics: Focusing on Trophic Pathogen Enrichment
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Scientists fed microplastics to tiny water fleas, which were then eaten by zebrafish, to see how plastic pollution moves up the food chain. Even though the fish looked healthy on the outside, both "regular" plastic (PVC) and so-called "biodegradable" plastic (PHA) disrupted their gut bacteria, with regular plastic notably promoting the growth of harmful bacteria linked to human infections. This suggests that "eco-friendly" plastics aren't necessarily safe either, and that hidden health risks from microplastics could be traveling through the food chain even when animals appear unaffected on the
Microplastic pollution severely threatens aquatic ecosystems, yet the trophic microecological risks of petroleum-based polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) microplastics remain insufficiently compared. This study established a two-trophic food chain model with Daphnia magna and zebrafish to explore the toxic effects and microbial disturbances of environmentally relevant 0.1 mg/L PVC and PHA. A 21-day chronic exposure induced no physiological damage to the survival, growth, reproduction, and locomotion of both organisms, suggesting conventional phenotypic indicators fail to identify early microplastic stress. However, trophic microplastic exposure triggered prominent zebrafish gut dysbiosis with distinct pathogen enrichment patterns. PHA trophic exposure enriched plant pathogenic genera (Acidovorax, Clavibacter, Rhizobium), whereas PVC trophic exposure accumulated zoonotic and clinical pathogens (Acinetobacter, Neisseria, Mycobacterium, Aeromonas). This work verifies that PHA is not entirely eco-safe, and PVC poses greater ecotoxicological risks via trophic pathogen transmission, providing genus-level evidence for differentiated microplastics risk assessment.
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Microplastics as vectors for microbial pollutants: Biofilm-associated transfer of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in zebrafish intestine
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Scientists found that microplastics coated in bacterial "biofilms" can act like tiny rafts, ferrying harmful germs and antibiotic-resistance genes into the gut, and surprisingly, "biodegradable" plastic (PLA) transferred more of these risky microbes than regular plastic (PP). This matters because it suggests eco-friendly plastics aren't necessarily safer for our health, and swallowing microplastics (through food, water, etc.) could potentially disrupt gut bacteria and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance, though this study was done in fish, not humans.
Plastic food? Energy compensation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) after long-term exposure to polylactic acid biomicroplastics
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Zebrafish exposed to biodegradable PLA (polylactic acid) microplastics for 90 days accumulated more plastic in their guts than fish exposed to conventional PET plastic, and suffered more intestinal damage. Although the fish partially compensated by using the PLA breakdown products for energy, the study shows that bio-based plastics still carry meaningful ecological risks for aquatic organisms that can enter our food chain.
Uptake, removal and trophic transfer of fluorescent polyethylene microplastics by freshwater model organisms: the impact of particle size and food availability
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Researchers used fluorescent polyethylene microplastics of different sizes to track how they move through a freshwater food chain from algae to water fleas to zebrafish. They found that smaller particles were ingested and transferred more readily between organisms, and that food availability influenced how many microplastics accumulated. The study demonstrates that microplastics can move up the food chain and that particle size plays a key role in how they are transported through aquatic ecosystems.
Effects of biodegradable and conventional microplastics on the intestine, intestinal community composition, and metabolic levels in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)
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Researchers exposed tilapia fish to both biodegradable (PLA) and conventional (PVC) microplastics for 14 days and compared the effects on their intestines and gut bacteria. Both types of microplastics caused intestinal inflammation and disrupted the gut microbial community, though the specific effects differed between the two plastic types. The study suggests that biodegradable microplastics may not be substantially safer for aquatic life than conventional ones.
Toxicity and trophic transfer of polyethylene microplastics from Poecilia reticulata to Danio rerio
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Researchers established an experimental food chain using guppy fry and adult zebrafish to test whether polyethylene microplastics can transfer between fish species at different trophic levels. The study found evidence of microplastic trophic transfer, with behavioral changes, mutagenic effects, and cytotoxic impacts observed in the predator fish that consumed microplastic-exposed prey.
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