Microplastic to Accumulate Microbial Pathogens in the Terrestrial Environment

Plastics have gradually become one of the most ubiquitous household materials in the modern world. Although already infamously known to pollute the environment due to their persistence, plastics are gradually raising further concerns as and when they result in the release of microplastics in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The hydrophobic surfaces of these microplastics act as a suitable cradle for generation and colonization of microbial biofilms. The current chapter brings an insight into the various sources of these microplastics, the major constituents of the so-called “plastisphere,” and how the pathogenic members of these plastispheres pose a threat to mankind, as well as various factors influencing the growth of microbes on microplastics.