Microplastics pose a great risk to the environment, as they can contaminate the water and reach us in the fish. A team of researchers from the University of Stirling (Scotland) has discovered that this residue can also help some viruses survive in fresh water and remain infectious for at least three days.
This discovery, which has been published in the journal Environmental Pollution, is of particular concern because the risks that microplastics can cause are linked to the spread of viruses and bacteria in them. In addition, they have observed that these pathogens can be released from the microplastic into the water or sand, which increases their persistence in the environment and their risk to humans.
The research found that, for example, the rotavirus virus, which is responsible for diarrhea and upset stomach, can be active for three days in lake water, all thanks to the fact that it adheres to microplastics resulting from a lack of recycling and abuse of this type of waste in cosmetic products.
Viruses attach to microplastics to travel through water
“Even if a sewage treatment plant is doing its best to clean up sewage waste, the discharged water still has microplastics in it, which are then carried down the river, into the estuary, and end up on the beach. We were not sure how well viruses hitchhiking on plastic might survive in the environment, but they do survive and remain infectious,” said Richard Quilliam, lead author of the study.
Lipid-enveloped viruses are inactivated upon contact with fresh water, while those without this envelope adhere to microplastics and survive
In the tests carried out in the work, the survival of two different types of viruses was analyzed. Some of them had a lipid envelope around them, as is the case with influenza (bacteriophage Phi6), and others without, such as enteric viruses, noroviruses (strain SA11) and rotaviruses.
The researchers’ findings after the tests showed that those viruses that had coverage lost it when they came into contact with fresh water, so the virus was completely deactivated. On the other hand, in the case of those without this protective coating, it was found that they were able to adhere to microplastics and survive for days.
“Viruses can also attach to natural surfaces in the environment. However, plastic pollution lasts much longer than those materials, “explained Quilliam. The next step the authors plan is to continue studies to find out how long pathogens can survive when attached to microplastics, since the tests were only carried out for three days.
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