RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Bacterial colonization of microplastics at the beaches of an oceanic Island, Tenerife, Canary Islands.
A1 Arias, Ángeles
A1 Hernández-Sánchez, Cintia
A1 Pestana Ríos, Ángel Antonio
A1 Villanova-Solano, Cristina
A1 Domínguez-Hernández, Cristopher
A1 Díaz Peña, Francisco Javier
A1 Rodríguez-Álvarez, Cristobalina
A1 Lecuona, María
K1 Microorganisms
K1 Microplastics
K1 Beach
K1 Public health
K1 Emerging pathogenic microorganisms
AB 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. 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. Results showed that Escherichia coli 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. 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.
SN 1660-4601
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/34826
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/34826
LA en
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 24-may-2024