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Current levels of microplastic pollution impact wild seabird gut microbiomes
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Researchers studied wild seabirds and found that the amount of microplastics in their guts was linked to significant changes in their gut bacteria. Birds with more microplastics had fewer beneficial bacteria and more harmful ones, including disease-causing and antibiotic-resistant species. This is one of the first studies to show that real-world microplastic exposure is already altering gut microbiomes in wild animals.
Microplastics contaminate environments worldwide and are ingested by numerous species, whose health is affected in multiple ways. A key dimension of health that may be affected is the gut microbiome, but these effects are relatively unexplored. Here, we investigated if microplastics are associated with changes in proventricular and cloacal microbiomes in two seabird species that chronically ingest microplastics: northern fulmars and Cory's shearwaters. The amount of microplastics in the gut was significantly correlated with gut microbial diversity and composition: microplastics were associated with decreases in commensal microbiota and increases in (zoonotic) pathogens and antibiotic-resistant and plastic-degrading microbes. These results illustrate that environmentally relevant microplastic concentrations and mixtures are associated with changes in gut microbiomes in wild seabirds.
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Microplastics impair seabird gut microbiomes
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A study of two seabird species found that microplastic ingestion significantly disrupts their gastrointestinal microbiomes, reducing microbial diversity and altering community composition in ways that may compromise immune function and digestion. These findings in wildlife mirror emerging concerns about microplastic effects on the human gut microbiome, where similar disruption could have broad implications for immune health and metabolic function.
Microplastics and the gut microbiome: How chronically exposed species may suffer from gut dysbiosis
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This review explores how chronic microplastic exposure may disrupt the natural balance of gut bacteria in wildlife, a condition known as dysbiosis. Researchers suggest that ingesting microplastics can cause mechanical damage to the gastrointestinal tract, introduce foreign bacteria, and deliver chemical additives that disturb gut microbial communities. The study highlights that microplastic-induced gut dysbiosis could weaken immune systems, promote infections, and contribute to chronic health issues in exposed species.
Microplastic-induced gut dysbiosis and metabolic alterations in juvenile European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax): A multi-omics approach
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Scientists found that when sea bass (a fish we eat) were exposed to real-world microplastic particles collected from the environment, it triggered inflammation, cell damage, and disrupted energy metabolism in their gut, while also killing off beneficial gut bacteria and letting pollution-tolerant bacteria take over. While this study was done in fish, not humans, it matters because it shows that microplastics—which are now found throughout our food chain and environment—can meaningfully disrupt gut health and the microbiome, raising questions about similar effects in people who consume seafood or are otherwise exposed to these particles.
Multi-omics association pattern between gut microbiota and host metabolism of a filter-feeding fish in situ exposed to microplastics
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Scientists exposed filter-feeding fish to environmentally realistic levels of microplastics and found that the particles reshaped gut bacteria communities, which in turn altered the fish's liver metabolism through changes in amino acid processing. This gut-microbiome-to-organ connection matters because it shows microplastics may affect human health not just through direct toxicity but by disrupting the beneficial bacteria in our digestive systems.
Microplastic-induced gut microbiota and serum metabolic disruption in Sprague-Dawley rats
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Researchers exposed rats to a mixture of common microplastic types at concentrations reflecting real-world human exposure and found significant disruptions to gut bacteria and blood metabolites. The microplastic mixture altered the balance of beneficial and harmful gut microbes and changed metabolic pathways related to amino acids and lipids. The study suggests that everyday microplastic exposure from food and water may affect mammalian gut health and metabolism.
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