Triclosan adsorption to microplastic fibers alters microbial colonization of plastic surfaces

Abstract

Presented by: Karl Gaisser – Graduate Student at Loyola University Chicago, kgaisser@luc.edu

Co-authors: Karl Gaisser, Justine Nguyen, John Kelly

Abstract: Microplastics are a contaminant of emerging concern in freshwater habitats worldwide. Within aquatic habitats microplastic surfaces are colonized by microorganisms and can adsorb other contaminants, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, creating hot-spots for microbe-pharmaceutical interactions. Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent found in a variety of personal care products, and it is also a contaminant of concern in urban freshwater environments. Previous work has shown that triclosan can affect microbial assemblages in freshwater habitats, and that it can be detected on plastic surfaces in these habitats. We used a microcosm-based approach to explore the interactions between triclosan and microbes on microplastic surfaces. We incubated acrylic, nylon, and polyester fibers with or without adsorbed triclosan in water collected from the Chicago River for 30 days. DNA-based analysis of microbial assemblages attached to the fibers and in the surrounding water indicated that the presence of triclosan resulted in lower diversity and a shift in microbial assemblage composition both on the microplastic surface and in the water column. Differential abundance analysis shows that certain phyla have more abundant gene copies in the triclosan treatments, including cyanobacteria and proteobacteria.

Biography: Karl Gaisser is a second year M.S. graduate student in the Kelly Lab at Loyola University Chicago. He received a B.S. degree in biology from Indiana University Bloomington in 2016 and worked in the biotechnology industry for a few years prior to matriculating to Loyola University Chicago. His research interests include examining how novel contaminants affect freshwater microbial ecosystems.