Assessing the Risks of Potential Bacterial Pathogens Attaching to Different Microplastics during the Summer–Autumn Period in a Mariculture Cage

Microorganisms

Zhiyuan Yao¹  Huangwei Cheng²  Man Hong²  Pengsheng Dong²  Huizhen Yan²  Yanting Wang²  Kai Wang³  Demin Zhang³  Dandi Hou³  Daoji Li⁴ 

[1] School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China;School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China;State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China;State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China;

关键词: microplastic pollution;    pathogenic microorganism;    aquaculture;    risk assessment;    pathogen database;    aquatic ecosystem;   

DOI  :  10.3390/microorganisms9091909

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

As microplastic pollution continues to increase, an emerging threat is the potential for microplastics to act as novel substrates and/or carriers for pathogens. This is of particular concern for aquatic product safety given the growing evidence of microplastic ingestion by aquaculture species. However, the potential risks of pathogens associated with microplastics in mariculture remain poorly understood. Here, an in situ incubation experiment involving three typical microplastics including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP) was conducted during the summer–autumn period in a mariculture cage. The identification of potential pathogens based on the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and a custom-made database for pathogenic bacteria involved in aquatic environments, was performed to assess the risks of different microplastics attaching potential pathogens. The enrichment of pathogens was not observed in microplastic-associated communities when compared with free-living and particle-attached communities in surrounding seawater. Despite the lower relative abundance, pathogens showed different preferences for three microplastic substrates, of which PET was the most favored by pathogens, especially potentially pathogenic members of Vibrio, Tenacibaculum, and Escherichia. Moreover, the colonization of these pathogens on microplastics was strongly affected by environmental factors (e.g., temperature, nitrite). Our results provide insights into the ecological risks of microplastics in mariculture industry.

【 授权许可】

Unknown