We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastics and viruses in the aquatic environment: a mini review
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarizes what is currently known about how microplastics interact with viruses in aquatic environments. Researchers found that microplastics can serve as carriers for viruses, potentially influencing their persistence, transmission, and ability to cause infection in water systems. The evidence indicates that the growing presence of microplastics in waterways may create new pathways for viral spread that are not yet fully understood.
Microplastics (MPs) have been widely found in the environment and have exerted non-negligible impacts on the environment and human health. Extensive research has shown that MPs can act as carriers for viruses and interacts with them in various ways. Whether MPs influence the persistence, transmission and infectivity of virus has attracted global concern in the context of increasing MPs contamination. This review paper provides an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the interactions between MPs and viruses in aquatic environments. Latest progress and research trends in this field are summarized based on literature analysis. Additionally, we discuss the potential risks posed by microplastic-associated viruses to human health and the environmental safety, highlighting that MPs can affect viral transmission and infectivity through various pathways. Finally, we underscores the need for further research to address key knowledge gaps, such as elucidating synergistic effects between MPs and viruses, understanding interactions under real environmental conditions, and exploring the role of biofilms in virus-MPs interactions. This review aims to contribute to a deeper understanding on the transmission of viruses in the context of increasing MPs pollution in water, and promote actions to reduce the potential risks.
More Papers Like This
Viruses in the era of microplastics and plastispheres: Analytical methods, advances and future directions
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how viruses interact with microplastics in the environment, including how viral particles attach to plastic surfaces and what this means for human and environmental health. Microplastics can carry viruses across water environments, and the biofilms that form on plastic surfaces create conditions for viral survival and gene transfer. These findings raise concerns that microplastics could serve as vehicles for spreading disease-causing viruses through water systems.
Microplastics as Vectors for Viral Transmission: Mechanisms, Influencing Factors, and Ecological-Health Risks
AI summary Read the abstract
Tiny plastic particles floating in the environment can stick to viruses and help them survive longer and spread more easily, which could increase the risk of getting sick. This review article summarizes what scientists have learned about how plastics and viruses interact, and why it matters, because many of us are now exposed to both microplastics and viruses at the same time, which could be worse for our immune systems than facing either threat alone. Understanding this problem better will help researchers figure out how to protect public health as plastic pollution continues to grow worldwide.
Micropollutants and Their Interactions With Relevant Environmental Viruses
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examined how microplastics and other micropollutants interact with viruses in aquatic environments, particularly within the One Health framework linking environmental, animal, and human health. Researchers found that viruses can adsorb onto microplastic surfaces and their biofilms, potentially aiding viral transport and persistence in water. The study highlights the need for more research on how these pollutant-virus interactions could affect disease transmission.
Microplastics as the potential reservoir and carrier of viral pathogens detected from hospital sewage
AI summary Read the abstract
Microplastics were shown to serve as a reservoir and carrier for viral particles in aquatic environments, with plastic surfaces harboring and potentially protecting viruses from degradation. This raises concerns about microplastics facilitating the environmental spread and persistence of waterborne pathogens.
Microplastics as emerging viral vectors: Nexus, mechanisms, ecological implications and health risks
AI summary Read the abstract
This review pulls together existing research showing that tiny plastic particles (microplastics) aren't just harmless debris—they can act like rafts that viruses cling to, helping them survive longer and travel farther in water, soil, and air than they would on their own. This matters because it means microplastics could potentially help spread infections more easily, though scientists still need more real-world studies to figure out exactly how big a risk this poses to human health.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.