自1964年以来，塑料的全球生产具有increased 20-fold。每年，大约1300万吨塑料废物污染了我们的海洋，至少5.25万亿individual plastic particles estimated to be circulating in the oceans worldwide.
Microplastics定义为尺寸<5mm的塑料颗粒，要么是出于工业目的（原发性微塑料）或塑料废物（次要）（例如渔网或水瓶的瓦解）形成。
微型塑料引起了人们越来越多的关注，部分原因是动物和人类可以轻松地摄取它们。到目前为止已经发现了微塑料在220种不同的物种中，，，，both terrestrial and aquatic, many of which have significant commercial importance due to their consumption by humans. Accumulating microplastics in marine food chains is有据可查的，，，，和is a considerable threat to marine wildlife, from shellfish and fish, to long-lived marine megafauna such as海龟，，，，密封和鲸鱼。Contamination of marine environments with microplastics is thus a substantial concern for both wildlife and human health.
摄入海鲜消费量产生的微塑料摄入对人类的影响，尽管如此，但研究量较低，尽管the adverse health effects associated with microplastics are clear。
周围海水中存在的许多生化物质（例如多糖）以及细菌的菌落可以结合并与微塑料表面结合，形成粘性生物膜（（termed the塑料）。因此，这些生物膜覆盖的微塑料具有运输可能多样的范围的潜力致病细菌，真菌或藻类，这可能会增加这些病原体的传播范围，并对人类和动物健康产生重大影响。
迄今为止，很少有研究研究了这种可能性，迄今为止，还没有研究探索在这些涂有生物膜涂层的微塑料中运输的陆生，人畜共患原生动物寄生虫的可能性。
A recent study by a collaboration of North American researchers,今年早些时候发表在科学报告中，，，，therefore set out to investigate the possibility of important pathogenic protozoans associating with microplastic surfaces.
研究人员进行了基于实验室的概念验证实验，以检验病原体微塑性关联的这一假设，以及不同类型的微塑料（聚乙烯微粒和聚酯微纤维）是否对病原体关联更好。
他们专注于病原体Toxoplasma gondii，，，，隐孢子虫parvum，，，，和贾迪亚肠，，，，not only because they’re important disease-causing pathogens in humans and animals, but also due to evidence of their长期持久性海水和他们的全球商业贝类的患病率。
随着时间的推移研究病原体微塑性关联
最初测试了陆地原生动物病原体与500μm微粒和800–1200μm微纤维结合并与800–1200μm结合的能力，以及在7天的时间内如何改变任何关联。微塑料在收集的海水中被“条件”，以便有时间在塑料周围形成细菌生物膜，因此更紧密地模拟自然条件。
The researchers found that all three of the protozoan pathogens were able to readily associate with the surface of both types of microplastics, even on day 1 of the experiment. Over the duration of the 7-days, they also found an increase in the number of pathogens, from all three species, associating with the microplastics, which corresponded with a decrease in parasite numbers in the surrounding seawater.
有趣的是，是T. Gondii和G. Enterica与塑料相关的病原体计数显着增加，并且在周围的海水中显着减少，它们不适合C. parvum。
When observed under a light microscope, it appeared that T. gondii was indeed associating with the microplastic particles within the sticky biofilm, suggesting that biofilm formation of plastic debris is an important mediator of pathogen-microplastic association.
How does microplastic type and size effect pathogen-microplastic association
In their second experiment, the researchers explored whether the type of microplastic (bead or fibre), or its size, effected the ability of the three pathogens associate with the microplastic.
他们测试了四种不同尺寸，100和500μm微粒，以及400-700和800-1200μm微纤维，并旨在模拟环境中看到的微塑料尺寸，并被鱼类和贝类摄入，例如plastic pre-production pellets，，，，个人护理产品的微粒，或从钓鱼网和纺织品中发现的微只片宾。
总体而言，观察到的病原体卵囊与较大的微纤维更容易相关，而不是其他微型塑料类型和尺寸。最高数量C. parvum和G. Enterica在最大的微纤维上发现，而T. gondii与所有类型和尺寸相似。
Often, themost common microplastic found in the environment，以及在几条鱼和贝类物种是微只片纤维，因此这些发现在整个海洋生态系统中的原生动物病原体迁移方面尤其令人担忧。
已经提出，病原体与微生儿纤维的关联增加是由其造成的rough and heterogenous surfacebeing ideal for biofilm formation, although other factors also likely play a role (such as hydrophobicity, plastic chemical characteristics or chemical and bacterial composition of the biofilm).
更广泛的含义，未来的方向和外卖
总的来说，这些研究人员的发现说明了一种新的机制，通过这种机制，通过塑料碎片对我们的生态系统进行人为污染可能会促进重要的原生动物病原体在整个海洋环境中的进一步传播和传播，并可能对全球动物和人类健康产生重大影响。
考虑到许多被多种鱼类和贝类物种摄入的微塑料的报道，微型塑料似乎也可以使病原体进入海洋食品网。
It was found that marine bivalves (such as clams, oysters, mussels and scallops) are more likely to ingest aggregated particles (such as microplastics with sticky biofilms) than free floating particles, and so pathogens incorporated into these biofilm communities may be increasingly ingested by these marine bivalves, thus increasing the risk of pathogen transmission to both humans and animals.
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