Open Access
Dangerous hitchhikers? evidence for potentially pathogenic vibrio spp. on microplastic particles
TLDR
This study confirms the indicated occurrence of potentially pathogenic Vibrio bacteria on marine microplastics and highlights the urgent need for detailed biogeographical analyses of marinemicroplastics.Abstract:
The qualitative and quantitative composition of biofilms on microplastic surfaces is widely unknown. A previous study (Zettler et al., 2013; EST) reports the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria (Vibrio spp.) on floating microplastic particles. Hence microplastics could function as vectors for the dispersal of microorganisms to new habitats. Several Vibrio species are serious human pathogens. Contact with contaminated water and consumption of raw seafood are the main infection factors for Vibrio associated diseases. On research cruises to the North- and Baltic Sea, microplastic particles were collected and subjected to APW (alkaline peptone water) enrichment. Growth on selective CHROMagar™ Vibrio and further identification of isolates by MALDI-TOF (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight) clearly indicate the presence of potentially pathogenic Vibrio spp. on microplastics. Our results highlight the urgent need for detailed microbiological analyses of floating microplastic particles in the future.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Plastic and Human Health: A Micro Issue?
TL;DR: There is potential for microplastics to impact human health, and assessing current exposure levels and burdens is key to guide future research into the potential mechanisms of toxicity and hence therein possible health effects.
Journal ArticleDOI
The plastic in microplastics: A review.
TL;DR: This review assesses the relevance of selected characteristics of plastics that composes the microplastics, to their role as a pollutant with potentially serious ecological impacts.
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Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems
Anderson Abel de Souza Machado,Anderson Abel de Souza Machado,Werner Kloas,Werner Kloas,Christiane Zarfl,Stefan Hempel,Matthias C. Rillig +6 more
TL;DR: The pervasive microplastic contamination as a potential agent of global change in terrestrial systems is introduced, the physical and chemical nature of the respective observed effects are highlighted, and the broad toxicity of nanoplastics derived from plastic breakdown is discussed.
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Environmental exposure to microplastics: An overview on possible human health effects
TL;DR: The evidence for potential negative effects of microplastics in the human body is reviewed, focusing on pathways of exposure and toxicity, with a focus on particle toxicity.
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Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health.
Luís Gabriel Antão Barboza,Luís Gabriel Antão Barboza,A. Dick Vethaak,Beatriz R.B.O. Lavorante,Anne-Katrine Lundebye,Lúcia Guilhermino +5 more
TL;DR: In this brief review, the evidence of seafood contamination by microplastics is reviewed, and the potential consequences of the presence of microplastic in the marine environment for human food security, food safety and health are discussed.
References
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Microplastics in the marine environment
TL;DR: The mechanisms of generation and potential impacts of microplastics in the ocean environment are discussed, and the increasing levels of plastic pollution of the oceans are understood, it is important to better understand the impact of microPlastic in the Ocean food web.
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Lost at sea: where is all the plastic?
Richard C. Thompson,Ylva S. Olsen,Richard P. Mitchell,Anthony Davis,Steven J. Rowland,Anthony W. G. John,Daniel F. McGonigle,Andrea E. Russell +7 more
TL;DR: It is shown that microscopic plastic fragments and fibers are also widespread in the marine environment and may persist for centuries.
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TL;DR: Global plastics production and the accumulation of plastic waste are documented, showing that trends in mega- and macro-plastic accumulation rates are no longer uniformly increasing and that the average size of plastic particles in the environment seems to be decreasing.
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Life in the “Plastisphere”: Microbial Communities on Plastic Marine Debris
TL;DR: Pits visualized in the PMD surface conformed to bacterial shapes suggesting active hydrolysis of the hydrocarbon polymer, implying that plastic serves as a novel ecological habitat in the open ocean.
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Synthetic polymers in the marine environment: A rapidly increasing, long-term threat
TL;DR: Marine plastic debris is divided into two categories: macro, >5 mm and micro, <5 mm, which provide potential danger to marine ecosystems from the accumulation of plastic debris on the sea floor and the potential bioavailability of compounds added to plastics at the time of manufacture, as well as those adsorbed from the environment.