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Pathogens can hitch a ride on plastic to reach the sea:
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 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."
[...] 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.
Crypto and 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."
More information: Association of zoonotic protozoan parasites with microplastics in seawater and implications for human and wildlife health, Scientific Reports (2022).
Journal information:Scientific Reports Provided by UC Davis.
Citation :
Pathogens can hitch a ride on plastic to reach the sea (2022, April 26) from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-pathogens-hitch-plastic-sea.html
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 27 2022, @10:51PM
Well, since pathogens can reach the sea on just about anything, clearly the goal of articles like this is to plant the seed for future political application of Microplastic pollution. You know, experts and researchers prove that the potential for damage caused by Microplastic pollution is absolutely endless!