Díaz-Mendoza Claudia, Mouthon-Bello Javier, Botero Camilo M, Acevedo-Barrios Rosa, Gutiérrez Leonardo
Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar, Cartagena, Colombia.
Faculty of Engineering, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 25;15(1):14510. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-91488-w.
Cigarette butts (CBs) discarded on tourist beaches represent an emerging waste concern in marine-coastal ecosystems due to their persistence, low degradability, and toxicity. This study investigated CBs, cigarette butt fibers (CBFs), and beach sand in Cartagena, Colombia, as potential substrates for microbial growth. Samples were collected over five months from different beach usage zones (active, rest, and service) and analyzed for bacterial isolation, morphological and biochemical characterization, 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, and the presence of total coliforms and Escherichia coli. The results revealed the presence of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in sand, CBs, and CBFs. Notably, Virgibacillus pantothenticus and Virgibacillus dokdonensis were identified and documented for the first time in Colombia. These findings contribute to understanding the sanitary and environmental quality of tourist beach sand and highlight potential risks to human health. Moreover, the identification of V. dokdonensis in cigarette butts discarded on beach sand is particularly relevant, as previous research suggests that certain bacterial taxa may have bioremediation potential for heavy metals.
丢弃在旅游海滩上的烟头是海洋 - 海岸生态系统中一个新出现的废物问题，因为它们具有持久性、低降解性和毒性。本研究调查了哥伦比亚卡塔赫纳的烟头、烟蒂纤维（CBF）和海滩沙子，作为微生物生长的潜在基质。在五个月的时间里，从不同的海滩使用区域（活跃区、休息区和服务区）采集样本，并进行细菌分离、形态学和生化特征分析、16S rRNA基因测序，以及总大肠菌群和大肠杆菌的检测。结果显示，沙子、烟头和烟蒂纤维中均存在革兰氏阳性菌和革兰氏阴性菌。值得注意的是，泛菌属维吉芽孢杆菌和独岛维吉芽孢杆菌在哥伦比亚首次被鉴定和记录。这些发现有助于了解旅游海滩沙子的卫生和环境质量，并突出对人类健康的潜在风险。此外，在海滩沙子上丢弃的烟头中鉴定出独岛维吉芽孢杆菌尤为重要，因为先前的研究表明，某些细菌类群可能具有重金属生物修复潜力。
