Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37515381›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental microbiology2023

Enrichment of native plastic-associated biofilm communities to enhance polyester degrading activity.

Sophie A Howard, Clodagh M Carr, Habteab Isaack Sbahtu, Uchechukwu Onwukwe, Maria J López, Alan D W Dobson, Ronan R McCarthy

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental microbiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 33 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Microbial plastic degradation: enzymes, pathways, challenges, and perspectives.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Inhibitory effect ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2024
    Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Sophie A HowardCentre for Inflammation Research and Translational Medicine, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.
Clodagh M CarrSchool of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Habteab Isaack SbahtuCentre for Inflammation Research and Translational Medicine, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.
Uchechukwu OnwukweExperimental Techniques Centre, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.
Maria J LópezDepartment of Biology and Geology, CITE II-B, University of Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, CIAIMBITAL, Almeria, Spain.
Alan D W DobsonSchool of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Ronan R McCarthyCentre for Inflammation Research and Translational Medicine, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7480-6352
Centre for Inflammation Research · GBUniversity College Cork · IEBrunel University of London · GBUniversity of Almería · ES

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Plastic pollution is an increasing worldwide problem urgently requiring a solution. While recycling rates are increasing globally, only 9% of all plastic waste has been recycled, and with the cost and limited downstream uses of recycled plastic, an alternative is needed. Here, we found that expanded polystyrene (EPS) promoted high levels of bacterial biofilm formation and sought out environmental EPS waste to characterize these native communities. We demonstrated that the EPS attached communities had limited plastic degrading activity. We then performed a long-term enrichment experiment where we placed a robust selection pressure on these communities by limiting carbon availability such that the waste plastic was the only carbon source. Seven of the resulting enriched bacterial communities had increased plastic degrading activity compared to the starting bacterial communities. Pseudomonas stutzeri was predominantly identified in six of the seven enriched communities as the strongest polyester degrader. Sequencing of one isolate of P. stutzeri revealed two putative polyesterases and one putative MHETase. This indicates that waste plastic-associated biofilms are a source for bacteria that have plastic-degrading potential, and that this potential can be unlocked through selective pressure and further in vitro enrichment experiments, resulting in biodegradative communities that are better than nature.

Indexed as

BacteriaPolyestersBiofilmsCarbonPolystyrenesCarbonPolyestersPolystyrenes

Identifiers

PMID37515381
PMCPMC10947123
OpenAlexW4385377586

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.