The impact of co-fed plastic diet on Tenebrio molitor gut bacterial community structure.

Larisa Ilijin, Dušanka Popović, Milica Živković, Dajana Todorović, Marija Mrdaković, Milena Vlahović, Vesna Perić-Mataruga

Abstract read

PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher

In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Exploring theFrontiers in microbiology · 2026
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.

Larisa IlijinDepartment of Insect Physiology and Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despot Stefan Blv. 142, 11060, Belgrade, Serbia. lararid@ibiss.bg.ac.rs.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1728-6140

Dušanka PopovićDepartment of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despot Stefan Blv. 142, 11060, Belgrade, Serbia.

Milica ŽivkovićInstitute of Molecular Genetics and Genetics Engineering, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 444a, P.O. Box 23, 11010, Belgrade, Serbia.

Dajana TodorovićDepartment of Insect Physiology and Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despot Stefan Blv. 142, 11060, Belgrade, Serbia.

Marija MrdakovićDepartment of Insect Physiology and Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despot Stefan Blv. 142, 11060, Belgrade, Serbia.

Milena VlahovićDepartment of Insect Physiology and Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despot Stefan Blv. 142, 11060, Belgrade, Serbia.

Vesna Perić-MatarugaDepartment of Insect Physiology and Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despot Stefan Blv. 142, 11060, Belgrade, Serbia.

Funding

Ministry for Science, Technological Development and Innovations of the Republic of Serbia 451-03-66/2024-03/200042the Ministry for Science, Technological Development and Innovations of the Republic of Serbia 451-03-136/2025-03/ 200007

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the long-term impact of co-fed plastic diet on the bacterial community of self-sustaining laboratory populations of T. molitor fed with wheat bran with added polystyrene (PS), and low density polyethylene (LDPE) over a three year period. The most abundant phyla for all three populations were Firmicutes, Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria. PS group microbiota is similar to C group, pointing to a common bacterial species capable for degrading lignocellulose and PS, while consumption of LDPE caused a significant decrease of Bacteroidota and Actinobacteriota compared to both C and PS group, and Campylobacterota compared to PS group. A predictive metabolomics analysis recognized dTDP-L-rhamnose biosynthesis I in PS group as one of five unique pathways, while other five distinctive pathways, like peptidoglycan maturation, were linked to LDPE group. Further studies are needed to determine the plastic degrading properties of the detected bacteria. The results highlight T. molitor's versatility in biotechnological applications.

Indexed as

Animal FeedBacteriaDietGastrointestinal MicrobiomePlasticsTenebrioAnimalsPolyethylenePolystyrenesPlasticsPolyethylenePolystyrenes

Identifiers

PMID40594024

DOI10.1038/s41598-025-04805-8

PMCPMC12217557

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY

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Registered trials

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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.