Document Type : Research Article
Abstract
Various microorganisms, including pathogenic ones, have been shown to colonise MP, a common contaminant in nature. Fungi have been generally ignored in this setting, despite their affinity for plastics and their significance as pathogens. Mycobiomes from municipal plastic waste from Kenya were analysed using ITS metabarcoding and a comprehensive meta-analysis, and visualised using scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy to understand the role of MP as a carrier of fungal pathogens in terrestrial ecosystems and the immediate human environment. The plastisphere core mycobiome was generated by a range of fungal species, including major animal and plant diseases, found in the plastisphere metagenome and microscopic findings. These artificial microhabitats, known as MPs, are capable of attracting a variety of fungal communities, as well as certain opportunistic human infections, such as Phoma-like Cryptococcus. The presence of fungal infections in soil conditions necessitates that MP be considered a persistent reservoir and possible vector. In light of the increasing volume of plastic garbage in terrestrial ecosystems around the world, this connection may have serious ramifications for fungal diseases' global epidemiology.
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