Cold-water gut isolate from threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) reveals polypropylene surface oxidation and co-culture inhibition.

A Pseudomonas trivialis strain from threespine stickleback guts shows evidence of polypropylene surface oxidation in monoculture.

• Why it matters: Plastic pollution persists in cold-water environments where microbial degradation is poorly understood, hindering bioremediation strategies.
• What they did: 184 microbes were isolated from Alaskan threespine stickleback guts and screened for plastic-degrading activity using lipase/esterase assays and biofilm formation on PET and PP, with surface analysis identifying activity in some isolates.
• The result: The Pseudomonas trivialis strain demonstrated polypropylene surface oxidation, but this activity was suppressed in co-culture with Pseudomonas germanica, highlighting microbial interactions' role in plastic degradation.