Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK.
Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK.
Environ Pollut. 2023 Jun 1;326:121466. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121466. Epub 2023 Mar 21.
Plastic waste is ubiquitous in the environment and there are increasing reports of such waste being colonised by human pathogens. However, the ability of pathogens to persist on plastics for long periods, and the risk that they pose to human health, is unknown. Here, under simulated environmental conditions, we aimed to determine if pathogenic bacteria can retain their virulence following a prolonged period on plastic. Using antibiotic selection and luciferase expression for quantification, we show that clinically important strains of E. coli can survive on plastic for at least 28-days. Importantly, these pathogens also retained their virulence (determined by using a Galleria mellonella model as a surrogate for human infection) and in some cases, had enhanced virulence following their recovery from the plastisphere. This indicates that plastics in the environment can act as reservoirs for human pathogens and could facilitate their persistence for extended periods of time. Most importantly human pathogens in the plastisphere are capable of retaining their pathogenicity. Pathogens colonising environmental plastic waste therefore pose a heightened public health risk, particularly in areas where people are exposed to pollution.
塑料废物在环境中无处不在，越来越多的报告表明，这些废物被人类病原体所占据。然而，病原体在塑料上长时间存活的能力，以及它们对人类健康构成的风险尚不清楚。在这里，我们在模拟的环境条件下，旨在确定如果病原体在塑料上长时间存在，它们是否能保持其毒力。通过抗生素选择和荧光素酶表达进行定量，我们表明，临床重要的大肠杆菌菌株可以在塑料上至少存活 28 天。重要的是，这些病原体也保持了它们的毒力（通过使用金蝇幼虫模型作为人类感染的替代物来确定），并且在从塑料层中恢复后，在某些情况下，毒力增强了。这表明环境中的塑料可以作为人类病原体的储库，并可以促进它们在较长时间内的持续存在。最重要的是，塑料层中的人类病原体能够保持其致病性。因此，定植在环境塑料废物上的病原体对公共健康构成了更高的风险，特别是在人们接触污染的地区。
