Oceanic Hitchhikers – Assessing Pathogen Risks from Marine Microplastic

As plastic debris in the environment continues to increase, an emerging concern is the potential for microplastic to act as vectors for pathogen transport. With aquaculture the fastest growing food sector, and microplastic contamination of shellfish increasingly demonstrated, understanding any risk of pathogen transport associated with microplastic is important for this industry. However, there remains a lack of detailed, systematic studies assessing the interactions and potential impacts that the attachment of human and animal pathogens on microplastic may have. Here we synthesise current knowledge regarding these distinct microplastic-associated bacterial communities and microplastic uptake pathways into bivalves, and discuss whether they represent a human and animal health threat, highlighting the outstanding questions critical to our understanding of this potential risk to food safety.