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How do woodlice deal with infection after exposure to microplastics?

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 2024
Tina Petrišič, Andraž Dolar, Damjana Drobne, Anita Jemec Kokalj

Summary

Researchers tested whether prior microplastic exposure affects the immune response of woodlice (Porcellio scaber) to subsequent bacterial infection. Microplastic-exposed woodlice showed altered infection outcomes, suggesting that plastic pollution can compromise invertebrate immune defense against pathogens.

Body Systems

There is an increasing evidence suggesting that environmental changes and the presence of pollutants can trigger a stress response in organisms. Our previous work has shown that woodlice (Porcellio scaber) elicit a clear immune response after exposure to microplastics in soil. However, it remained unclear what this change means for the organism's ability to fight various challenges. The aim of this study was to investigate the immune response and survival of P. scaber when confronted with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge subsequent to pre-exposure to microplastics, i.e. tire particles (TP). Tire particles are prevalent plastic debris that enter the soil mainly through tire abrasion. In addition, a positive control, the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF), was also tested. The woodlice were exposed to TP (1.5 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559069/document

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