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Bacterial pathogen assemblages on microplastic biofilms in coastal waters
Summary
Researchers incubated different types of microplastics in coastal waters for 21 days and analyzed the bacterial communities that colonized their surfaces. They found that while overall pathogen abundance was low, microplastic biofilms hosted a diverse array of potentially harmful bacteria whose composition varied by polymer type and water location. The study suggests that microplastics in coastal waters can serve as floating platforms for disease-causing microorganisms.
Microplastic pollution in coastal ecosystems poses significant environmental risks. Microplastic biofilms were investigated through field incubation in coastal waters over a 21-day period to identify harmful microorganisms. Screening results indicated generally low abundance but highly diverse and variable nature of harmful pathogens on microplastics, largely governed by polymer type in conjunction with water usage. Typhoon shelter exhibited the highest pathogen abundance in both seawater and microplastic biofilms, with the most dominant pathogen species on microplastic biofilms being the atypical Corynebacterium variabile primarily enriched on polystyrene biofilms. Other harmful species, such as Vibrio, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas, were found sporadically recruited. Functional annotation and network analysis indicated a co-occurrence of pathogen taxa with keystone taxa like Aeromonas, yet no significant correlation with ARGs. This study showed that the assemblage of pathogens in the plastisphere could be influenced by multiple factors, providing a valuable reference for assessing microplastic-related pathogen risks in coastal waters.