The attachment rate of Vibrio anguillarum to microplastics strongly varies with strain identity, particle characteristics, and environmental conditions.

Attachment of Vibrio anguillarum to microplastics varies strongly across 16 GFP-labeled strains, particle types, and environmental conditions, with particle type effects erased after biofilm formation.

• Why it matters: Microplastics can host biofilms containing potentially pathogenic bacteria, so understanding what controls bacterial attachment is key to assessing public and animal health risk.
• What they did: The study measured attachment rates of 16 GFP-labeled Vibrio anguillarum strains to milled polypropylene, milled polyethylene terephthalate, and polystyrene beads using fluorescence microscopy, and compared conditions with and without field-formed biofilms.
• The result: Higher attachment occurred on milled particles with qualitatively rougher surfaces, but once a natural marine biofilm formed, attachment-rate differences between particle types disappeared, underscoring strain and environment dependence.

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