In aquatic environments, they act like tiny rafts, providing surfaces for microorganisms to attach to and grow. This biofilm-covered microplastic – also called a "plastisphere" – can harbor harmful ...

Drug resistant bacteria have been found within persistent biofilms in the aquatic environment around the world, particularly surrounding waste-water treatment plants and regions of agricultural ...

This presents a risk for pathogens from human waste to attach to bacterial colonies known as biofilms on plastics. Knowing whether or not pathogens that sit in microplastic biofilms remain ...

The molecules performed better than conventional antibiotics in killing the bacteria during the dormant phase. Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that attach to each other and to surfaces ...

To understand the extent to which plastic can be colonized by potentially deadly bacteria, the scientists injected wax moth larvae with the biofilm. After a week, four percent of the larvae died.

from raw and treated wastewater, indicating that the plastisphere biofilms likely protect the pathogens from wastewater treatment. These findings highlight the potential of plastispheres to harbor ...

In medical settings, biofilms make infections harder to treat when they form protective shields for bacteria on devices like catheters and implants. UC Riverside scientists have now discovered a ...