An underwater image with floating particles of clear plastic — Particles of plastic float in the ocean. Microplastics are able to carry pathogens from land to parts of the ocean they would normally never reach, a UC Davis study found. (Getty)

Pathogens Can Hitch a Ride on Plastic to Reach the Sea

Microplastics Can Carry Land-Based Parasites to Ocean, Affecting Wildlife and Human Health

by Kat Kerlin
April 26, 2022

Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean, with likely consequences for human and wildlife health, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

The study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first to connect microplastics in the ocean with land-based pathogens. It found that microplastics can make it easier for disease-causing pathogens to concentrate in plastic-contaminated areas of the ocean.