Microbial Life on the Surface of Microplastics in Natural Waters

Abstract

Major water-polluting microplastics (for example, polyethylene, polypropylene and others) have lower density than water. Therefore, they are concentrated in the neustonic layer near the water-air interface altogether with dissolved or colloidal natural organic matter, hydrophobic cells and spores of bacteria. This can cause environmental and public health problems because the floating micro- and nanoparticles of plastics could be coated with biofilm of hydrophobic and often putative pathogenic bacteria. Biofilm-coated microplastics are more attractive for consumption by aquatic animals than pure microplastics, and that increases the negative impacts of microplastics. So, impacts of even small quantities of microplastics in aquatic environments must be accounted for considering their accumulation in the micro-layer of water-air interphase and its interaction with bacterioneuston. Microorganisms attached to the surface of microplastic particles could interact with them, use them as substrates for growth, to change properties and biodegrade. The study of microbial life on the surface of microplastic particles is one of the key topics to understanding their role in the environment.

Stimuli-Activable Metal-Bearing Nanomaterials and Precise On-Demand Antibacterial Strategies

“…Pathogenic biofilms can form on surfaces of organic and inorganic materials, e.g., metal pipes, tooth, biomedical equipment, food processing equipment. 202,203,218,219 The biofilm matrix can protect the bacteria within it from the surrounding environment, thereby increasing resistance to antibiotics and the host immune system. 220,221 Moreover, biofilms may bring a serious risk of bacterial infection to patients.…”

“…Pathogenic biofilms can form on surfaces of organic and inorganic materials, e.g. , metal pipes, tooth, biomedical equipment, food processing equipment. ,,, The biofilm matrix can protect the bacteria within it from the surrounding environment, thereby increasing resistance to antibiotics and the host immune system. , Moreover, biofilms may bring a serious risk of bacterial infection to patients. , Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to develop antibacterial strategies that can effectively destroy biofilms to replace traditional antibiotic treatment. In this section, the application of SAMNs in destroying biofilms formed on biomaterials surfaces was mainly introduced, focusing on their product form, use method, effect evaluation, and/or biocompatibility.…”

Plastic Interactions with Pollutants and Consequences to Aquatic Ecosystems: What We Know and What We Do Not Know

“…Many of these adsorbed chemicals are likely to attract microbes, particularly bacteria, which can utilize these chemical substances as sources of carbon and energy. In fact, in an aquatic environment, a potential spatio-temporal association between micro- or nanoplastics and some specific kind of bacteria that can metabolize the adhered substances have been observed [ 140 ]. Some of these colonized bacterial species, such as Pseudomonas sp., are also capable of decomposing microplastics, depending on the type, aging and surface roughness of the particles, although very little is known about the modes of action involved in this biodegradation [ 95 , 141 ].…”

Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Physicochemical Properties and Toxicity of Microplastics: A Concise Review

“…Biofilm composition also appear to differ during different stages of biofilm formation. For example, Gammaproteobacteria, particularly from the genus Oleinacter, was found to comprise up to 59% of the microbial community on PVC during early colonization stages (Pollet et al 2018 ; Stabnikova et al 2021 ). However, these microbes were quickly outnumbered by Alphaproteobacteria (predominantly from the Rhodobacteraceae and Flavobacteriia families) shortly thereafter (Pollet et al 2018 ; Stabnikova et al 2021 ).…”