This Superbug Learned How to Feed on Plastic from Hospitals

Image: Pseudomonas aeruginosa pigment production, growth on cetrimide agar, oxidase test, plague formation and Gram stain. Image credit: HansN. via Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 4.0 (no modifications). Article by Mihai Andrei. ZME Science – May 20, 2025. Research article: Cell.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common pathogen known for causing difficult-to-treat hospital infections, has evolved a taste for plastic. But not just any plastic. It can break down polycaprolactone (PCL) — a biodegradable polymer widely used in medical implants — and use it as fuel to grow more powerful. This means that in the very environments meant to heal us, some microbes may be learning to thrive on the materials designed to restore our bodies. […]

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