Antibiotic Effects on Tenebrio molitor Ingestion of Styrofoam

Polystyrene is a significant environmental contaminant. Larvae of the mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, digest polystyrene, converting up to 49% of ingested polystyrene into carbon dioxide and the remainder into biomass. Microbiota in the mealworm gut help break down polystyrene, but little is known about the specific bacteria. This study estimates the microbial bacterial community makeup and size in the mealworm gut by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, the conserved gene in bacterial species. By modifying the gut microbiome with the administration of antibiotics, this study also attempts to determine how the microbiome is altered and whether such modifications are associated with changes in polystyrene digestion. Additionally, this study addresses whether an intake of polystyrene has adverse effects on the mealworm gut by looking for damage at the microscopic level and by measuring the antioxidants catalase and glutathione to assess for oxidative stress. Findings were that microbial diversity was key to maximal consumption of polystyrene. Suppression of microbiome diversity with antibiotics was associated with decreased polystyrene digestion. Polystyrene ingestion was associated with gut inflammation and damage, with decreased catalase levels and epithelial cell vacuolization.