Microbial hitch-hikers of marine plastics: the survival, persistence & ecology of microbial communities in the Plastisphere

The Plastic Vectors Project evaluates the load of pathogenic viruses, bacteria and toxic algae on microplastics in rivers, freshwater and
coastal waters. The aim is to develop recommendations for environmental monitoring guidelines to inform a risk assessment protocol
transferable across the UK and beyond.

The project is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) under the fourth round of NERC highlight topics.

Visit the project’s website www.plasticvectors.stir.ac.uk

Publications

  1. Moresco V, Oliver DM, Weidmann M, Matallana-Surget S, Quilliam RS (2021) Survival of human enteric and respiratory viruses on plastics in soil, freshwater, and marine environments. Environmental Research 199 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111367
  2. Moresco V, Charatzidou A, Oliver DM, Weidmann M, Matallana-Surget M, Quilliam RS (2022) Binding, recovery, and infectiousness of enveloped and non-enveloped viruses associated with plastic pollution, In press Environmental Pollution 308, 119594 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119594