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Microplastics and Nanoplastics as Carriers for Viral Transmission: Effects on Viral Properties, Infection, Immune Response, and Public Health
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This review examined how microplastics and nanoplastics can act as carriers for viruses, potentially influencing the spread of infectious diseases. Researchers found that plastic particles create a surface habitat called the plastisphere that promotes microbial growth and can serve as a reservoir for pathogens. The study suggests that micro- and nanoplastics may alter viral persistence, infection dynamics, and immune responses, though significant knowledge gaps remain about the real-world impact on public health.
The extensive use of plastics since the industrial revolution has raised significant environmental and health concerns. Despite their advantages in terms of durability, affordability, and ease of production, the accumulation of plastics has resulted in considerable pollution. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic further exacerbated plastic consumption, particularly in medical supplies, intensifying the plastic waste crisis. The majority of plastics are not recycled and eventually degrade into microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), which pose substantial risks to ecosystems and human health. MPs and NPs enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact and have been found in biological samples such as blood, faeces, and lung fluids. Their presence has been linked to diseases affecting the lungs, cardiovascular system, and intestines, as well as cancer and viral infections. This review highlights how MPs and NPs contribute to the spread of infectious diseases by creating a habitat called the "plastisphere," which promotes microbial growth and serves as a reservoir for pathogens, emphasising their effects on viral persistence, infection dynamics, and immune modulation. Unlike previous reviews mainly focused on toxicological or microbiological aspects, this work integrates environmental, virological, and immunological evidence to outline how MPs/NPs may reshape virus-host interactions. By identifying critical knowledge gaps, such as the quantitative impact of MPs/NPs on viral stability and immune disruption, this review provides a background for future experimental and epidemiological research. This value-added perspective not only advances scientific understanding but also supports policy development in waste management.
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The potential role of micro- and nanoplastics in the spread of viruses
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics may act as vehicles that amplify the spread and infectivity of pathogenic viruses in humans and animals, explaining that the plastisphere (the microbial community living on plastic surfaces) can preserve viruses and that plastics weaken the body's natural barrier tissues. The authors warn that plastic particles carrying viruses could increase infection risk and potentially even help viruses develop new variants, calling for urgent interdisciplinary research.
Plastisphere-hosted viruses: A review of interactions, behavior, and effects
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This review examines how viruses attach to and thrive on microplastic surfaces in the environment, forming communities called the "plastisphere." These virus-laden microplastics can spread disease-causing agents through water and ecosystems, potentially reaching humans and posing public health risks that scientists are only beginning to understand.
Microplastics as Vectors for Viral Transmission: Mechanisms, Influencing Factors, and Ecological-Health Risks
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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.
Viruses in the era of microplastics and plastispheres: Analytical methods, advances and future directions
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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.
Environmental Risks of Plastisphere Viruses: Carrier Effects, Virus–Host Interactions, and Mechanisms of Resistance Dissemination
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Tiny plastic particles floating in water and soil quickly get coated with slimy biofilms that can attract and concentrate viruses, potentially turning microplastics into rafts that help spread disease-causing germs and antibiotic-resistant genes. This review pulls together existing research on the topic, and while the evidence so far is mostly based on indirect genetic analysis rather than direct proof, it raises an important flag: microplastic pollution might be doing more than just littering our environment—it could be helping harmful viruses travel and share dangerous traits. More hands-on lab testing is needed to confirm how big a real-world health risk
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