Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Clinical Isolates Can Encodeplasticdegrading Enzymes That Allowsurvival On Plastic And Augment Biofilm Formation Sophie A Howard Rubén De Dios Evgenia Maslova Antonis Myridakis Thomas H Miller Ronan R Mccarthy by Sophie A. Howard & Rubén De Dios & Evgenia Maslova & Antonis Myridakis & Thomas H. Miller & Ronan R. Mccarthy 101016/JCELREP2025115650 instant download after payment.

SUMMARYMultiple bacteria encoding plastic-degrading enzymes have been isolated from the environment. Given thewidespread use of plastic in healthcare, we hypothesized that bacterial clinical isolates may also degradeplastic. This could render plastic-containing medical devices susceptible to degradation and failure andpotentially offer these pathogens a growth-sustaining substrate, enabling them to persist in the hospital-builtenvironment. Here, we mined the genomes of prevalent pathogens and identified several species encodingenzymes with homology to known plastic-degrading enzymes. We identify a clinical isolate of Pseudomonasaeruginosa that encodes an enzyme that enables it to degrade a medically relevant plastic, polycaprolactone(PCL), by 78% in 7 days. Furthermore, this degradation enables the bacterium to utilize PCL as its sole carbonsource. We also demonstrate that encoding plastic-degrading enzymes can enhance biofilm formation andpathogenicity. Given the central role of plastic in healthcare, screening nosocomial bacteria for plastic-degrading capacity should be an important future consideration.INTRODUCTIONwith copolymers o