Pathogens can hitch a ride on plastic to reach the sea
Microplastics can carry land-based parasites to ocean, affecting wildlife
and human health

Date:
April 26, 2022
Source:
University of California - Davis
Summary:
Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the
ocean, with likely consequences for human and wildlife health,
according to a new study. This study connects microplastic pollution
in the ocean with land-based, diseases-carrying pathogens. The
study, published April 26 in the journal Scientific Reports, is
the first to connect microplastics in the ocean with land-based
pathogens


FULL STORY ========================================================================== Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean,
with likely consequences for human and wildlife health, according to a
study from the University of California, Davis.


==========================================================================
The study, published April 26 in the journal Scientific Reports, is the
first to connect microplastics in the ocean with land-based pathogens. It
found that microplastics can make it easier for disease-causing pathogens
to concentrate in plastic-contaminated areas of the ocean.

The pathogens studied -- Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium (Crypto)
and Giardia -- can infect both humans and animals. They are recognized
by the World Health Organization as underestimated causes of illness
from shellfish consumption and are found throughout the ocean.

"It's easy for people to dismiss plastic problems as something that
doesn't matter for them, like, 'I'm not a turtle in the ocean; I won't
choke on this thing,'" said corresponding author Karen Shapiro, an
infectious disease expert and associate professor in the UC Davis School
of Veterinary Medicine. "But once you start talking about disease and
health, there's more power to implement change. Microplastics can actually
move germs around, and these germs end up in our water and our food."
A human and animal problem Microplastics are tiny plastic particles
smaller than 5 millimeters, no bigger than a grain of rice. They've contaminated waters as remote as Antarctica. The study's findings indicate that, by hitchhiking on microplastics, pathogens can disperse throughout
the ocean, reaching places a land parasite would normally never be found.



==========================================================================
T. gondii, a parasite found only in cat poop, has infected many ocean
species with the disease toxoplasmosis. UC Davis and its partners have a
long history of research connecting the parasite to sea otter deaths. It's
also killed critically endangered wildlife, including Hector's dolphins
and Hawaiian monk seals. In people, toxoplasmosis can cause life-long illnesses, as well as developmental and reproductive disorders.

Cryptoand giardia cause gastrointestinal disease and can be deadly in
young children and people who are immunocompromised.

"This is very much a problem that affects both humans and animals,"
said first author Emma Zhang, a fourth-year veterinary student with the
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "It highlights the importance of
a One Health approach that requires collaboration across human, wildlife
and environmental disciplines. We all depend on the ocean environment." Microbeads and microfibers For the study, the authors conducted laboratory experiments to test whether the selected pathogens can associate with
plastics in sea water. They used two different types of microplastics: polyethylene microbeads and polyester microfibers. Microbeads are often
found in cosmetics, such as exfoliants and cleansers, while microfibers
are in clothing and fishing nets.



==========================================================================
The scientists found that more parasites adhered to microfibers than to microbeads, though both types of plastic can carry land pathogens. The
wispy particles of microfibers are common in California's waters and
have been found in shellfish.

A pathway for pathogens The authors say plastic makes it easier for
pathogens to reach sea life in several ways, depending on whether the
plastic particles sink or float.

Microplastics that float along the surface can travel long distances,
spreading pathogens far from their sources on land. Plastics that sink
may concentrate pathogens in the benthos environment, near the bottom of
the sea. That's where filter-feeding animals like zooplankton, clams,
mussels, oysters, abalone and other shellfish live, increasing the
likelihood of their ingesting both plastic and pathogens.

"When plastics are thrown in, it fools invertebrates," Shapiro
said. "We're altering natural food webs by introducing this human-made
material that can also introduce deadly parasites." Reducing plastic
Co-author Chelsea Rochman, a plastic-pollution expert and assistant
professor of ecology at the University of Toronto, said there are
several ways humans can help reduce the impacts of microplastics in the
ocean. She notes that microfibers are commonly shed in washing machines
and can reach waterways via wastewater systems.

"This work demonstrates the importance of preventing sources of
microplastics to our oceans," said Rochman. "Mitigation strategies include filters on washing machines, filters on dryers, bioretention cells or
other technologies to treat stormwater, and best management practices
to prevent microplastic release from plastic industries and construction sites." Additional co-authors include Minji Kim, Lezlie Rueda, and James
Moore of UC Davis, and Elizabeth VanWormer of University of Nebraska.

The study was funded by the Ocean Protection Council and California Sea
Grant program, with student financial support provided by the UC Davis
School of Veterinary Medicine Students Training in Advanced Research
(STAR) program.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_California_-_Davis. Original written by Kat Kerlin. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Emma Zhang, Minji Kim, Lezlie Rueda, Chelsea Rochman, Elizabeth
VanWormer, James Moore, Karen Shapiro. Association of zoonotic
protozoan parasites with microplastics in seawater and implications
for human and wildlife health. Scientific Reports, 2022; 12 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s41598- 022-10485-5 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220426101709.htm

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