Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates can encode plastic-degrading enzymes that allow survival on plastic and augment biofilm formation

Howard, Sophie A., de Dios, Rubén, Maslova, Evgenia, Myridakis, Antonis, Miller, Thomas H. and McCarthy, Ronan R. (2025) Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates can encode plastic-degrading enzymes that allow survival on plastic and augment biofilm formation. Cell Reports, 44 (5), [115650]. (doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115650).

Abstract

Multiple bacteria encoding plastic-degrading enzymes have been isolated from the environment. Given the widespread use of plastic in healthcare, we hypothesized that bacterial clinical isolates may also degrade plastic. This could render plastic-containing medical devices susceptible to degradation and failure and potentially offer these pathogens a growth-sustaining substrate, enabling them to persist in the hospital-built environment. Here, we mined the genomes of prevalent pathogens and identified several species encoding enzymes with homology to known plastic-degrading enzymes. We identify a clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 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 carbon source. We also demonstrate that encoding plastic-degrading enzymes can enhance biofilm formation and pathogenicity. Given the central role of plastic in healthcare, screening nosocomial bacteria for plastic-degrading capacity should be an important future consideration.

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Contributors

Author: Rubén de Dios

Author: Ronan R. McCarthy

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