Evidence of interspecific plasmid uptake by pathogenic strains of Klebsiella isolated from microplastic pollution on public beaches

Metcalf, Rebecca; Messer, Lauren F.; White, Hannah L.; Ormsby, Michael J.; Matallana-Surget, Sabine; Quilliam, Richard S.

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132567

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…It is now indisputable that ubiquitous plastic discharge poses significant risks to marine systems and human health. Plastics can serve as carriers to transport pathogens and toxic chemicals, and weathering of plastics releases tremendous chemical compounds such as microplastics − and dissolved organic carbons (DOCs). , These processes and impacts are intricately intertwined with each other for different plastics and surrounding environments …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyhydroxybutyrate Plastics Show Rapid Disintegration and More Straightforward Biogeochemical Impacts than Polyethylene under Marine Biofragmentation

Cao,

Zhang,

Song

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Although massive studies have investigated the spatiotemporally occurring marine plastisphere, a new microbial ecosystem colonizing the surfaces of plastics, the resulting biofragmentation process and impacts of plastics on biogeochemical cycles remain largely unknown. Here, we leverage synchrotronbased Fourier transform infrared spectromicroscopy (FTIR mapping) and metagenomic sequencing to explore independent marine microcosms amended with petroleum-based polyethylene (PE) and biobased polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) plastic films. FTIR mapping results demonstrate unequal fragmentation scenarios by which the PE plastic rarely releases oxidized fragments while PHB disintegrates quickly, gradually forming fragments composed of extracellular polymeric substances resembling plastic films. Metagenomic analysis shows the critical role of hydrocarbonoclastic lineages in the biodegradation of the two plastics by the fatty acid degradation pathway, where the PE plastics host different microbial trajectories between the plastisphere (dominated by Alcanivorax) and surrounding seawater. In contrast, the PHB addition demonstrates decreased microbial richness and diversity, consistent community composition (dominated by Phaeobacter and Marinobacter), and apparently stimulated sulfur cycle and denitrification pathways in both the plastisphere and surrounding seawater. Our study gives scientific evidence on the marine biotic processes distinguishing petroleum-and biobased plastics, highlighting marine PHB input exerting straightforward impacts on the water phase and deserving critical management practices.

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