Bacterial colonization of microplastics at the beaches of an oceanic island, Tenerife, Canary Islands.
2023
Díaz Peña, Francisco Javier | Hernández Sánchez, Cintia | Pestana Ríos, Ángel Antonio | Villanova Solana, Cristina | Domínguez Hernández, Cristopher | Rodríguez Álvarez, Cristobalina | Lecuona, María | Arias, Ángeles
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20053951
Show more [+] Less [-]Isolated systems, such as oceanic islands, are increasingly experiencing important problems related to microplastic debris on their beaches. The formation of microbial biofilm on the surface of microplastics present in marine environments provides potential facilities for microorganisms to survive under the biofilm. Moreover, microplastics act as a vehicle for the dispersion of pathogenic organisms, constituting a new route of exposure for humans. (2) In this study, the microbial content (FIO and Vibrio spp. And Staphylococcus aureus) of microplastics (fragments and pellets) collected from seven beaches of the oceanic island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands (Spain), was determined. (3)Results showed that Escherichiacoli was present in 57.1% of the fragments and 28.5%of the pellets studied. In the case of intestinal Enterococci, 85.7% of the fragments and 57.1% of the pellets tested positive for this parameter. Finally, 100% of the fragments and 42.8% of the pellets analyzed from the different beaches contained Vibrio spp. (4)This study shows that microplastics act as reservoirs of microorganisms that can increase the presence of bacteria indicating faecal and pathogenic contamination in bathing areas.
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