Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics exposure on mussel (Mytilus edulis) gut microbiota

Researchers exposed marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) to microplastics and analyzed changes to their gut microbiota, finding significant shifts in microbial community composition that could affect digestion, immunity, and overall health.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics exposure on copepod (Eurytemora affinis) and mussel (Mytilus edulis) gut microbiota

Researchers studied how microplastic exposure affects the copepod Eurytemora affinis and the mussel Mytilus edulis, examining effects on feeding, reproduction, and overall health at relevant environmental concentrations. Results showed microplastics impaired physiological functions in both species, with additional risks from microorganism-colonized plastic surfaces.

2024 Open MIND
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effects of microplastics on intestinal microbiome for Perna viridis

Researchers found that the size of microplastic particles determines how they change the gut bacteria of green mussels, with the smallest particles causing the most disruption to beneficial bacteria and promoting potentially harmful species. Since mussels are widely consumed as seafood, changes to their gut health and the bacteria they carry could affect human food safety.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Are microplastics impacting shellfish?

Researchers investigated whether microplastic contamination measurably impacts shellfish physiology, growth, reproduction, and health outcomes, assessing the ecological and food safety implications of microplastic exposure in commercially and ecologically important bivalve species.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastic prevalence, diversity and characteristics in commercially important edible bivalves and gastropods in relation to environmental matrices

Researchers assessed microplastic abundance and characteristics in the tissues of commercially important bivalves and gastropods from the southwest coast of India, finding MPs across all five species examined and raising concerns about seafood safety.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Microplastics on the Growth and the Intestinal Microbiota Composition of Brine Shrimp

Researchers exposed brine shrimp to polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics and found that both types significantly reduced growth rates, with body length decreasing by 15-18%. The study also revealed that microplastic ingestion altered the gut microbiota composition, increasing microbial diversity and shifting the balance of key bacterial groups in the shrimp intestines.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics on clam Ruditapes philippinarum at environmentally realistic concentrations: Toxicokinetics, toxicity, and gut microbiota

Researchers exposed clams to nanoplastics at concentrations found in real marine environments and tracked how the particles accumulated in their tissues over 14 days. The nanoplastics caused physical damage and significantly altered the clams' gut bacteria. This is concerning because clams are widely consumed seafood, meaning nanoplastic contamination could affect both marine ecosystems and human food sources.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, composition, and distribution of microplastics in intertidal sediment and soft tissues of four species of Bivalvia from Southeast Brazilian urban beaches

Researchers found 100% microplastic contamination in intertidal sediments and four bivalve species from urbanized Brazilian beaches, identifying polypropylene, polyethylene, and PET polymers in organisms commonly consumed by humans.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in commercially important bivalves from the southwest coast of India

Microplastics were detected in water and three commercially important bivalve species along the southwest coast of India, with concentrations varying by species and collection site. The presence of plastic particles in filter-feeding shellfish intended for human consumption raises concerns about dietary exposure.

2022 Environmental Pollution 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in Bivalves: An assessment of potential health risks to humans and bivalves in the Tam Giang Lagoon

Researchers analysed microplastic contamination in three bivalve species from Tam Giang Lagoon in Vietnam, finding 291 MP particles across 36 specimens, with clams showing the highest burden (67% of total MPs). The findings indicate significant human dietary MP exposure from lagoon bivalves and call for monitoring of this food source.

2025
Article Tier 2

Presence of microplastics in six bivalve species (Mollusca, Bivalvia) commercially exploited at the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Central America

Researchers found microplastics in all six commercially exploited bivalve species sampled from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, with prevalence ranging from 74% to 100% across species, raising concerns about human exposure through seafood consumption in Central American coastal communities.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmentally relevant microplastic exposure affects sediment-dwelling bivalves

Researchers exposed two species of sediment-dwelling bivalves to polyethylene microplastics at three concentrations and three size classes for four weeks. The study found species-specific responses including reduced body condition and altered burrowing behavior, suggesting that even at environmentally relevant concentrations, microplastics can affect the physiology and behavior of benthic bivalves.

2018 Environmental Pollution 195 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic contamination in Meretrix aurora from Punnakayal Estuary and Tuticorin Coast, Southeast India

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in the bivalve Meretrix aurora from both a relatively pristine estuary and an urbanized coastal site in southeast India, finding significantly higher microplastic loads at the more urbanized Tuticorin Coast, providing the first contamination data for this commercially important species.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota composition of the isopod Ligia in South Korea exposed to expanded polystyrene pollution

Coastal isopods (Ligia) collected from a plastic-polluted site in South Korea showed measurably different gut microbiome compositions compared to those from a clean site, with lower species richness in polluted areas. This suggests that microplastic contamination can reshape the internal microbial communities of small invertebrates, potentially affecting their health and their role in coastal food webs.

2024 PLoS ONE 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics and the associated plastisphere on physiological, biochemical, genetic expression and gut microbiota of the filter-feeder amphioxus

Researchers exposed filter-feeding amphioxus to weathered microplastics colonized by natural marine biofilms and found significant impacts on physiology, biochemistry, and gut microbiota under starvation conditions. The weathered plastics with their attached microbial communities caused more disruption than pristine particles typically used in lab studies. The findings suggest that real-world microplastic pollution, complete with its biofilm coating, may pose greater risks to marine filter feeders than laboratory experiments usually indicate.

2023 Environment International 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Diversity and succession of microbial communities on typical microplastics in Xincun Bay, a long-term mariculture tropical lagoon

Researchers tracked microbial community succession on polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics over 60 days in a tropical mariculture lagoon, finding that plastisphere bacterial diversity exceeded that of surrounding seawater and that community structure shifted significantly over time.

2022 Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on trophic parameters, abundance and metabolic activities of seawater and fish gut bacteria in mesocosm conditions

Mesocosm experiments showed that microplastics altered bacterial community structure and metabolic activity in both seawater and fish guts, suggesting that plastic pollution can disrupt microbial ecosystems in the marine environment. The findings raise concerns about how microplastic-driven microbiome changes could affect fish health and broader ecosystem functioning.

2018 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in commercial bivalves from China

Researchers analyzed microplastics in commercially sold bivalves from China, finding contamination across multiple species and geographic origins, with implications for human dietary microplastic exposure through shellfish consumption.

2015 Environmental Pollution 960 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aggravate the bioaccumulation and corresponding food safety risk of antibiotics in edible bivalves by constraining detoxification-related processes

Researchers found that microplastics increased the accumulation of antibiotics in three commercially important species of edible shellfish. The microplastics interfered with the animals' natural detoxification processes, making it harder for them to clear antibiotic residues from their tissues. The study raises food safety concerns, suggesting that microplastic-contaminated coastal waters could lead to higher antibiotic levels in the seafood people consume.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Potentially pathogenic bacteria in the plastisphere from water, sediments, and commercial fish in a tropical coastal lagoon: An assessment and management proposal

Researchers examined the types of potentially harmful bacteria living on microplastics found in water, sediments, and commercial fish in a tropical coastal lagoon. They identified several pathogenic species colonizing the microplastic surfaces, which could pose risks when contaminated fish are consumed by humans. The study proposes management strategies to reduce the public health threat of microplastic-associated pathogens in fisheries.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in bivalves: First assessment in three coastal lagoons of the colombian caribbean, south america

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in bivalves from three coastal lagoons, finding that filter-feeding species readily accumulate particles from surrounding water and sediment. The study characterized particle types and polymer compositions across different lagoon environments.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics exposure on the reconfiguration of viral community structure and disruption of ecological functions in the digestive gland of Mytilus coruscus

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastic ingestion affects the viral community in the digestive glands of thick-shelled mussels through a field exposure experiment. They found that microplastic ingestion significantly reduced virome diversity and altered viral community composition, while microplastic biofilms carried abundant antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors. The findings suggest that microplastics may serve as vectors for spreading resistance genes and destabilizing microbial networks in marine organisms.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Temporal stability and assembly mechanisms of gut microbiota in sea cucumbers response to nanoplastics treatment

Researchers studied how nanoplastic ingestion affects the gut microbiota of sea cucumbers (Apostichopus japonicus), an important aquaculture species. The study found that exposure to nanoplastics at concentrations of 100 and 500 mg/kg caused significant changes in gut microbial community composition after 21 days, suggesting potential impacts on the health of farmed marine organisms.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of microplastic pollution in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) aquaculture areas and the relationship between colonized-microbiota on microplastics and intestinal microflora

Researchers found that microplastics in golden pompano aquaculture areas colonize with distinct microbial communities that overlap with the fish's gut microbiota, increasing Proteobacteria and decreasing Firmicutes in the intestinal flora of fish living in more contaminated estuarine settings.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 39 citations