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Microbial diversity and potential pathogens associated with the plastisphere on beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Researchers analyzed the microbes living on plastic debris collected from beaches in Rio de Janeiro, finding that both polypropylene and polyethylene plastics harbored communities containing potential human and marine pathogens as well as bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes. The study confirms that ocean plastics can transport dangerous microorganisms across long distances, posing risks to human health and marine biodiversity.
Marine pollution caused by plastic waste is a global issue. Improperly discarded plastics often end up in seas and oceans, where they become colonized by a microbial biofilm known as the Plastisphere. In this environment, especially in places where sewage is discharged untreated into water bodies, pathogenic microorganisms and those carrying antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) can settle and spread over long distances. To assess the presence of these microorganisms and examine the impact of substrate type on the formation of these communities, plastic waste samples were collected from three beaches in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The plastics were identified as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) using FTIR analysis, and the microbial biofilm attached to them was studied through 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. The results revealed the presence of bacteria potentially pathogenic to humans and marine life, as well as plastic-degrading species in the biofilms of the analyzed samples. Although the communities present in the different polymers in this study clustered separately, our results did not show specific associations between polymer types and the observed microbial communities. The spread of these plastics in the ocean poses risks to human health and marine biodiversity.
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Plastic trash on beaches isn't just an eyesore — it's also a floating home for bacteria, and this study found that these "plastic-dwelling" microbes carry more antibiotic-resistance genes and disease-causing traits than bacteria living on natural materials like driftwood or shells. This matters because as plastic pollution spreads through our oceans and coastlines, it may be helping harmful, drug-resistant bacteria hitch a ride and spread more easily into places where people swim, fish, and gather seafood.
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Scientists found that tiny plastic bits floating in the sea aren't just pollution, they're also rafts for germs, hosting different (and sometimes riskier) bacteria than the surrounding water, including *Vibrio*, a group that can cause food poisoning and infections. These plastic-riding bacteria also carried more genes for antibiotic resistance, including some tied to hard-to-treat infections, suggesting microplastics could help spread drug-resistant germs through the ocean and potentially into seafood or coastal waters people come into contact with.
Floating plastics and their associated biota in the Western South Atlantic
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Researchers conducted the first comprehensive survey of floating plastics and their associated organisms in coastal and oceanic waters of southern Brazil. They found an average concentration of about 4,461 plastic items per square kilometer, predominantly microplastics, colonized by diverse communities of bacteria and other organisms including potential pathogens and plastic-degrading microbes.
Microbial hitchhikers on marine plastic debris: Human exposure risks at bathing waters and beach environments.
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This review examines how marine plastic debris serves as a habitat for microbial communities including potential pathogens, a phenomenon called the Plastisphere, and assesses the human health risks when plastic-associated microbes reach bathing waters and beaches. The authors conclude that plastic litter can amplify microbial hazards to public health in coastal recreation areas.
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Researchers tested whether marine microplastics carry potentially pathogenic Vibrio bacteria, finding Vibrio species on microplastic surfaces in seawater, raising concerns about plastics as vehicles for transporting harmful bacteria in marine environments.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.