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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Fungal plastiphily and its link to generic virulence traits makes environmental microplastics a global health factor
ClearFungal plastiphily and its link to generic virulence traits makes environmental microplastics a global health factor
This meta-analysis reveals that fungi, including species that cause human infections, are attracted to microplastics in the environment. Microplastics provide tiny habitats where disease-causing fungi can accumulate and potentially evolve, suggesting that the trillions of microplastic particles in our environment may be increasing our exposure to fungal pathogens.
Plastiphily is linked to generic virulence traits of important human pathogenic fungi
A study of soil near human dwellings found that microplastics selectively attract and concentrate dangerous fungal pathogens, including species that cause serious human infections. The microplastic surfaces essentially act as tiny habitats where disease-causing fungi accumulate and may develop enhanced survival traits. This suggests that the trillions of microplastic particles in soil could be amplifying the spread of fungal infections, adding a new dimension to microplastic health risks.
Plastiphily and its link to generic virulence in fungal human pathogens makes microplastics a global health factor
Researchers applied neutral community models and co-occurrence network analysis to ITS metabarcoding data from soil fungal communities on microplastics collected from plastic pollution hotspots in Kenya, identifying both deterministic and stochastic processes structuring the plastisphere mycobiome. By linking a selection index to trait data including generic virulence scores, the study found correlations between plastiphilic adaptation and fungal pathogen virulence, implicating microplastics as a potential driver of pathogen ecology.
Characterization and Human Health Risk Assessment of Fungal Species Isolated from Landfill Soil in Najaf Ashraf, Iraq
Researchers isolated fungal species from microplastic surfaces collected in environmental samples and characterized their diversity and human health risks, finding that certain opportunistic fungal pathogens were enriched on plastic surfaces compared to surrounding water and sediment.
Terrestrial plastisphere as unique niches for fungal communities
Researchers used 125 laboratory experiments to compare the fungi living on microplastics versus nearby soil, finding that microplastic surfaces host distinct fungal communities enriched in Penicillium and the potentially harmful pathogen Alternaria. These "plastisphere" fungal communities were less shaped by environmental conditions than soil communities, suggesting microplastics may create isolated niches that concentrate certain fungi and potentially reduce local biodiversity.
Microplastics accumulate fungal pathogens in terrestrial ecosystems
Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems serve as selective microhabitats that accumulate distinct fungal communities, including opportunistic human pathogens such as cryptococcal and Phoma-like species, making plastic waste a persistent reservoir and potential vector for fungal infections in soil environments.
Plastic pollution and fungal, protozoan, and helminth pathogens – A neglected environmental and public health issue?
This review examines the understudied relationship between plastic pollution and eukaryotic pathogens, including fungi, protozoa, and helminths. Researchers found that while bacterial colonization of the plastisphere is well documented, evidence suggests plastics may also harbor and spread eukaryotic pathogens, raising concerns about a neglected public health and environmental issue.
Gkoutselis et al. 2023 COMMENV
This is a data repository entry rather than a full research article; it links to files associated with a study on fungal plastiphily — the ability of fungi to colonise microplastics — and the connection between plastic-colonising fungi and known virulence traits, suggesting environmental microplastics could act as a global health factor by harbouring pathogenic fungi.
The “neighbor avoidance effect” of microplastics on bacterial and fungal diversity and communities in different soil horizons
Researchers analyzed microbial communities on microplastic surfaces and in surrounding soil from agricultural fields in Beijing, China. They found that microplastics reduced bacterial and fungal diversity on their surfaces compared to nearby soil, while selectively enriching microbes involved in plastic biodegradation and increasing the relative abundance of pathways related to disease.
The Spatiotemporal Successions of Bacterial and Fungal Plastisphere Communities and Their Effects on Microplastic Degradation in Soil Ecosystems
Researchers tracked how bacterial and fungal communities colonize microplastic surfaces in soil over time, finding that the surrounding soil type had the strongest influence on which microbes grew on the plastics. The microbial communities on microplastics were less diverse and less stable than those in the surrounding soil, but they attracted microbes with a higher capacity to break down organic carbon. The study suggests that microplastic surfaces become hotspots for carbon metabolism in soil ecosystems.
Soil plastispheres as hotspots of antibiotic resistance genes and potential pathogens
Researchers investigated microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes on microplastic surfaces (the plastisphere) in soil environments. They found that plastispheres harbor enriched levels of potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes compared to surrounding soil, and that adding manure or increasing temperature and moisture further amplified these concerning microbial communities.
Microplastics in the soil: A review of distribution, anthropogenic impact, and interaction with soil microorganisms based on meta-analysis
Meta-analysis revealed significant regional differences in microplastic size distributions between China and other countries, with industrial production specifically linked to polypropylene microplastic abundance in Chinese soils (P < 0.01). Fungi-mediated microplastic degradation efficiency decreased at higher culture temperatures, and MP distribution patterns varied by region based on principal component analysis.
The SpatiotemporalSuccessions of Bacterial and FungalPlastisphere Communities and Their Effects on Microplastic Degradationin Soil Ecosystems
Researchers explored spatiotemporal succession of bacterial and fungal plastisphere communities on three microplastic types across three soil types over multiple time periods, finding that colonization environment was the dominant driver of plastisphere microbiome assembly, followed by polymer type and incubation time.
Dynamic evolution of microbial colonization on indoor microplastics: polymer diversity-driven co-occurrence networks and health risks
Researchers simulated 90 days of indoor microplastic exposure to study how different polymer types, aging, and morphology influence microbial colonization on microplastic surfaces. They found that polymer diversity shaped microbial co-occurrence networks and that the resulting plastisphere communities harbored potential human pathogens.
The ecology of the plastisphere: Microbial composition, function, assembly, and network in the freshwater and seawater ecosystems
Researchers studied the communities of bacteria and fungi that colonize microplastic surfaces in freshwater and seawater, forming what scientists call the plastisphere. These microplastic-associated communities were distinctly different from those in surrounding water, and included a higher proportion of disease-causing organisms and species involved in pollutant degradation. The findings suggest that microplastics create new habitats that can harbor pathogens and alter natural microbial ecosystems in ways that may affect water quality and human health.
Effects of microplastic types and shapes on the community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in different soil types
Researchers examined how different types and shapes of microplastics affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities across various soil types. The study found that microplastics alter soil structure and chemistry in ways that disrupt these beneficial fungi, which play crucial roles in nutrient exchange, soil stability, and water movement.
Dynamics and functions of microbial communities in the plastisphere in temperate coastal environments
Researchers explored microbial communities colonizing microplastics in coastal environments of Japan, comparing bacterial and fungal communities across different plastic types, water, sediment, and sand. The study found that while microbial communities varied by sample type and location rather than plastic shape, microplastics harbored hydrocarbon-degrading organisms as well as potential pathogens, highlighting the ecological significance of plastic-associated biofilms.
Spatio-temporal distribution of soil microbial communities and nutrient availability around a municipal solid waste landfill
Despite its title referencing soil microbial communities near a municipal solid waste landfill, this paper studies bacterial and fungal community composition in soils surrounding a landfill — not microplastic pollution. It examines how proximity to the landfill affects microbial diversity and nutrient cycling and is not directly relevant to microplastics or human health.
Impact of Coexistence of Microplastics and Biochar on the Abundance and Structure of Soil Fungal Communities
Researchers investigated the effects of polypropylene, polyethylene, and PVC microplastics — alone and in combination with biochar — on soil fungal community structure, diversity, and functional prediction in agricultural soil. Microplastics increased overall fungal abundance but reduced diversity indices, with dominant taxa including Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierella, Aspergillus, and Fusarium, and coexistence with biochar amplifying these effects beyond microplastics alone.
Earthworms Significantly Alter the Composition, Diversity, Abundance and Pathogen Load of Fungal Communities in Sewage Sludge from Different Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants
Earthworms exposed to microplastic-contaminated soil were found to significantly alter the composition, diversity, and abundance of potentially pathogenic soil bacteria, suggesting that earthworm bioturbation in MP-contaminated soils may have unintended effects on soil microbiome health.
Survival of human enteric and respiratory viruses on plastics in soil, freshwater, and marine environments
Researchers investigated the survival of human enteric and respiratory viruses on plastic surfaces in soil, freshwater, and marine environments. The study found that plastics and microplastics can harbor pathogenic viruses in addition to bacteria, suggesting that the so-called plastisphere may serve as a previously underappreciated pathway for the transmission of human pathogens in the environment.
Differential fungal assemblages and functions between the plastisphere of biodegradable and conventional microplastics in farmland
Researchers compared the fungal communities growing on biodegradable and conventional plastic microplastics buried in farmland soil in China. Biodegradable plastics attracted more fungi capable of breaking down plastic, but also harbored more plant and animal pathogens than conventional plastics. This suggests that even biodegradable microplastics in farm soil could pose risks to crop health and potentially introduce harmful organisms into the agricultural environment.
Distinct microbial communities in the microplastisphere of inland wetlands: Diversity, composition, co-occurrence networks, and functions.
Researchers collected samples from different inland wetland types to characterize the microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces (the microplastisphere), finding distinct bacterial and fungal communities compared to surrounding soils. Community composition varied by wetland type and plastic surface, highlighting the ecological diversity of plastic-associated microbiomes in freshwater habitats.
A global review on the abundance and threats of microplastics in soils to terrestrial ecosystem and human health
This review examines microplastic pollution levels across agricultural, roadside, urban, and landfill soils worldwide, finding wide variation but consistent contamination. Microplastics alter soil pH, density, and water movement, disrupt microbial communities, inhibit plant growth, and affect soil animals. For humans, the concern is that microplastics in soil can enter the food chain through crops and contaminated water.