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Clinically important E. coli strains can persist, and retain their pathogenicity, on environmental plastic and fabric waste
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Researchers found that disease-causing E. coli strains can survive on environmental plastic waste for at least 28 days and retain their ability to cause infection. In some cases, the bacteria became even more virulent after living on plastic surfaces. The study reveals that plastic pollution in the environment can serve as a reservoir for human pathogens, posing a public health risk especially in polluted areas.
Plastic waste is ubiquitous in the environment and there are increasing reports of such waste being colonised by human pathogens. However, the ability of pathogens to persist on plastics for long periods, and the risk that they pose to human health, is unknown. Here, under simulated environmental conditions, we aimed to determine if pathogenic bacteria can retain their virulence following a prolonged period on plastic. Using antibiotic selection and luciferase expression for quantification, we show that clinically important strains of E. coli can survive on plastic for at least 28-days. Importantly, these pathogens also retained their virulence (determined by using a Galleria mellonella model as a surrogate for human infection) and in some cases, had enhanced virulence following their recovery from the plastisphere. This indicates that plastics in the environment can act as reservoirs for human pathogens and could facilitate their persistence for extended periods of time. Most importantly human pathogens in the plastisphere are capable of retaining their pathogenicity. Pathogens colonising environmental plastic waste therefore pose a heightened public health risk, particularly in areas where people are exposed to pollution.
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This study showed that pathogenic E. coli O157 can colonize plastic surfaces within 30 minutes and persist for at least 21 days at concentrations sufficient to cause human infection under simulated environmental conditions. Repeated colonization and dissociation cycles enhanced E. coli O157 biofilm formation and antibiotic tolerance, suggesting that plastic pollution may be selecting for more virulent and persistent pathogen variants in the environment.
Enduring pathogenicity of African strains of Salmonella on plastics and glass in simulated peri-urban environmental waste piles
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Researchers tested whether dangerous Salmonella bacteria can survive on discarded plastic and glass surfaces under conditions found in African urban waste piles. They found that multiple strains of Salmonella, including those that cause typhoid, remained alive and infectious on these surfaces for at least 28 days. The study highlights that plastic pollution in developing countries may serve as a reservoir for disease-causing bacteria.
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Researchers demonstrated that the cholera-causing bacterium Vibrio cholerae can survive on plastic waste in environments resembling urban dump sites and then transfer into floodwater. They found that toxin-producing strains persisted on plastic surfaces and remained infectious when released into simulated flood conditions. The findings suggest that plastic pollution in flood-prone areas may contribute to cholera outbreaks by serving as a reservoir for the pathogen.
From wastewater discharge to the beach: Survival of human pathogens bound to microplastics during transfer through the freshwater-marine continuum
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Researchers investigated how human pathogens survive on microplastic surfaces as they travel from wastewater treatment plants through freshwater into marine environments. They found that the biofilm environment on plastic surfaces helped bacteria like E. coli and Enterococcus faecalis persist longer during transitions between water types compared to bacteria in the surrounding water. The study suggests that microplastics may facilitate the environmental spread of pathogens by providing a protective habitat during transport.
Survival of human pathogens bound to microplastics during transfer through the freshwater-marine continuum: from wastewater discharge to the beach
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Researchers tracked survival of E. coli, E. faecalis, and P. aeruginosa colonizing polyethylene microplastics as particles were transferred through a series of mesocosms simulating downstream transport from wastewater effluent through freshwater, estuary, seawater, and beach sand. All three pathogens survived the full environmental transition sequence in the plastisphere, with higher bacterial concentrations on microplastics than on glass controls, though die-off rates did not differ by substrate, demonstrating microplastics' potential to extend pathogen persistence across environmental boundaries.
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