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The Trojan Horse Effect of Microplastics: Mediating Aeromonas Hydrophila Transmission and Synergistic Pathogenesis in Micropterus Salmoides
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in water can act like "Trojan horses" by carrying harmful bacteria and making infections worse in fish. The plastic pieces help deadly bacteria stick to them and spread more easily, causing more severe illness and death in the fish they studied. This matters because these same plastic particles and bacteria are found in waters where we get our seafood, potentially affecting food safety.
Microplastics (MPs) are prevalent in aquatic environments, ingested by aquatic organisms, causing substantial impacts on major physiological functions, while their surfaces facilitate microbial colonization. However, the effect of MPs in facilitating pathogenic transmission, which is highly susceptible to serving as potential vectors for contaminants and pathogens, is not fully understood. This study investigated the synergistic effect of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) as a pathogen vector in mediating Aeromonas hydrophila transmission. Electron microscopy revealed that PS-MPs can act as a carrier for A. hydrophila, significantly enhancing the bacterial infection in Micropterus salmoides, inducing a higher mortality rate and severe inflammatory infiltration in hepatic tissue, and disrupting the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the expression of related genes. These findings provide the first report of the mechanism underlying PS-MPs-mediated synergistic transmission of A. hydrophila in M. salmoides, establishing a crucial theoretical basis for the risk assessment of MPs pollution and for the control of aquaculture diseases.
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Microplastics as a vector for the transport of the bacterial fish pathogen species Aeromonas salmonicida
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Researchers analyzed bacterial communities living on microplastics collected from the North Adriatic Sea surface and identified 28 bacterial species, including the fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida. They also found hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria colonizing the plastic surfaces. The study provides evidence that microplastics can serve as vectors for transporting pathogenic bacteria through marine environments, potentially spreading disease to fish populations.
Polystyrene Microplastics as a Trojan Horse for Cadmium: Synergistic Apoptosis, Oxidative Stress, and Incomplete Recovery in Oreochromis niloticus
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Scientists found that when tiny plastic particles (microplastics) and cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, team up, they cause more cell damage and stress in fish than either one does alone, acting like a "Trojan horse" that helps the metal get into the body. Even after exposure stopped, the fish didn't fully recover. This matters because it suggests microplastics in our environment could be secretly carrying and worsening the effects of other pollutants, raising questions about the combined risks we face from eating contaminated fish or being exposed to both pollutants together.
Increasing microplastics pollution: An emerging vector for potentially pathogenic bacteria in the environment
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Researchers collected microplastics from a river basin in Turkey and found that disease-causing bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli, and Staphylococcus, readily form colonies on plastic particle surfaces. This means microplastics floating in water can act as tiny rafts carrying harmful bacteria, potentially increasing infection risks when contaminated water is used for drinking or recreation.
The hidden risk of microplastic-associated pathogens in aquatic environments
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This review examines the overlooked risk that microplastics in water can serve as vehicles for disease-causing bacteria and other pathogens. Microplastics provide a surface where harmful microorganisms can grow, survive longer, and travel farther than they would on their own. This means microplastic pollution in lakes, rivers, and oceans could increase the risk of waterborne infections in people who swim in, drink from, or eat seafood from contaminated water.
The impact of microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes, metal resistance genes, and bacterial community in aquaculture environment
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Researchers discovered that microplastics in fish farming environments carry significantly higher levels of antibiotic resistance genes and disease-causing bacteria like Brucella and Pseudomonas compared to surrounding water. This means microplastics may act as floating platforms that help spread antibiotic-resistant infections through aquaculture, potentially reaching humans who consume the seafood.
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