Plastiphily is linked to generic virulence traits of important human pathogenic fungi

Fungi comprise relevant human pathogens, causing over a billion infections each year. Plastic pollution alters niches of fungi by providing trillions of artificial microhabitats, mostly in the form of microplastics, where pathogens might accumulate, thrive, and evolve. However, interactions between...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communications earth & environment 2024-12, Vol.5 (1), p.51-18, Article 51
Main Authors: Gkoutselis, Gerasimos, Rohrbach, Stephan, Harjes, Janno, Brachmann, Andreas, Horn, Marcus A., Rambold, Gerhard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Fungi
Global health
Metagenomics
Microhabitats
Microplastics
Niches
Pathogens
Phylogeny
Plastic pollution
Public health
Virulence
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Summary:Fungi comprise relevant human pathogens, causing over a billion infections each year. Plastic pollution alters niches of fungi by providing trillions of artificial microhabitats, mostly in the form of microplastics, where pathogens might accumulate, thrive, and evolve. However, interactions between fungi and microplastics in nature are largely unexplored. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the assembly, architecture, and ecology of mycobiomes in soil (micro)plastispheres near human dwellings in a model- and network-based metagenome study combined with a global-scale trait data annotation. Our results reveal a strong selection of important human pathogens, in an idiosyncratic, otherwise predominantly neutrally assembled plastisphere, which is strongly linked to generic fungal virulence traits. These findings substantiate our niche expansion postulate, demonstrate the emergence of plastiphily among fungal pathogens and imply the existence of a plastisphere virulence school, underpinning the need to declare microplastics as a factor of global health.
ISSN:2662-4435
2662-4435
DOI:10.1038/s43247-023-01127-3