The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) show a microbiome more similar to plastic-associated communities than to algae or seawater, with shared potential-pathogen genera including Vibrio and Pseudomonas.
- Why it matters: Plastic debris can colonize with microbes and potentially spread pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes, but it is unclear whether these plastisphere communities reshape turtle microbiomes and resistomes.
- What they did: The study compared microbial communities across turtles, plastic debris, seawater, and two algal diet species using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and profiled ARGs with high-throughput quantitative PCR.
- The result: ARGs were abundant in all sample types, yet ARG profiles suggested limited transfer between plastics and turtles, indicating decoupled microbiome–resistome connectivity and stronger plastic-driven pathogen sharing.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.