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Micropollutants and Their Interactions With Relevant Environmental Viruses
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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.
Emerging pollutants encompass a diverse array of chemicals classified as micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals and microplastics (MPs). Viruses are known to adsorb onto MPs, including binding to bacterial biofilms that form the plastisphere. In this review, we conducted an extensive bibliographic survey to critically assess the potential interactions between micropollutants, such as MPs, organic micropollutants and viruses in aquatic environments, within the One Health context. The interaction between viruses and bacterial cell wall components can increase the infectivity and thermal stability of viral particles, which thrive on biofilms commonly found on MPs in aquatic systems. MPs, acting as viral vectors, can impact viral life cycles, survival, transmission and interaction with hosts, posing significant risks to human, animal and environmental health. There is a clear need for additional practical studies to understand how viruses remain stable when in contact with micropollutants. This field of research provides opportunities to better understand the broader impacts of these interactions, including the potential for new viral outbreaks due to the prolonged persistence of pathogens in the environment.
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