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A preliminary study of the cultivable microbiota on the plastic litter collected by commercial fishing trawlers in the south-eastern Adriatic Sea, with emphasis on Vibrio isolates and their antibiotic resistance.
Summary
This study characterized the bacterial communities on plastic litter collected by fishing trawlers in the Adriatic Sea, finding distinct microbial assemblages on plastic compared to surrounding seawater and sediment, including Vibrio bacteria with concerning antibiotic resistance profiles. The results suggest that plastic debris can harbor and transport potentially harmful, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in marine environments.
Mediterranean Sea is the sixth largest area of marine litter accumulation in the world, and plastic pollution is a growing problem in its Adriatic sub-basin. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cultivable microbiota associated with plastic litter collected by commercial fishing trawlers in the south-eastern Adriatic Sea in comparison with microbiota in seawater and sediment. Plastic litter in the sea contains an autochthonous microbiota that is different from that of the surrounding seawater and sediment. Vibrio abundance was higher on plastic litter than in surrounding seawater and sediment. All isolated Vibrio showing resistance to ampicillin and vancomycin, while resistance to other antibiotics depended on the isolated species. Overall, this study provides for the first time information on the cultivable microbiota associated with plastic litter collected by commercial fishing trawlers and provides a data base for further studies.
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