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. 2023 Feb 23;20(5):3951.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20053951.

Bacterial Colonization of Microplastics at the Beaches of an Oceanic Island, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Cintia Hernández-Sánchez  1   2 , Ángel Antonio Pestana-Ríos  1 , Cristina Villanova-Solano  2   3 , Cristopher Domínguez-Hernández  2   3 , Francisco Javier Díaz-Peña  4 , Cristobalina Rodríguez-Álvarez  1 , María Lecuona  5 , Ángeles Arias  1
Affiliations

Bacterial Colonization of Microplastics at the Beaches of an Oceanic Island, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Cintia Hernández-Sánchez et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

(1) 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 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. (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.

Keywords: beach; emerging pathogenic microorganisms; microorganisms; microplastics; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Location of the Canary Islands highlighting the island of Tenerife, located in the Atlantic Ocean and geolocation of the beaches sampled on the island of Tenerife.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fragments color distribution of the total study (n = 687).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pellets color distribution of the total study (n = 139).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical composition of the total MP analyzed.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Loupe view of irregularities and roughness presented by MPs found on the beaches of Tenerife. MPs picked from Playa Grande on 21 April 2021. Left image shows high irregularities and roughness of the fragments. Right image shows low irregularities and roughness of the pellets (weathering and not weathering).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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