Study: Microplastics can spread dangerous bacteria
(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - Microplastics may be contributing to the spread of dangerous antibiotic resistant superbugs, according to a new study.
The reason is microplastics are an excellent hosts for slimy bio-films and bacteria can create to protect themselves from this attack.
The study was published in the journal 'Applied Environmental and Microbiology'.
It found that while many surfaces can host biofilms, plastics appeared to provide an especially strong bond that attracts most of the most prolific bacteria.
One of the study authors says that microplastics are like rafts.
A bacteria may sit on it on its own, might not be able to swim down a river, but riding down a bio-film on it can be a little bit more disseminated to many different environments.
