{"entity": "researcher", "timestamp": "2026-08-23T09:25:37.124Z", "family": "Ramasamy", "given": "Kesava Priyan", "initials": "KP", "orcid": "0000-0003-0276-2239", "affiliations": ["Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Ume\u00e5 University, Ume\u00e5, Sweden.", "Ume\u00e5 Marine Sciences Centre, Ume\u00e5 University, Ume\u00e5, Sweden."], "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8d2d57f28a344ccebcea19dcee8ca6a9.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8d2d57f28a344ccebcea19dcee8ca6a9"}}, "publications": [{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "d1b9fb14210a4b8280a9742d8763db8c", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/d1b9fb14210a4b8280a9742d8763db8c.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/d1b9fb14210a4b8280a9742d8763db8c"}}, "title": "Perfoliate Pondweed Meadows in Northern Coastal Areas-Reservoirs of Diverse Bacteria With Pathogenic Traits and Complex Carbon Metabolism.", "authors": [{"family": "Ramasamy", "given": "Kesava Priyan", "initials": "KP", "orcid": "0000-0003-0276-2239", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8d2d57f28a344ccebcea19dcee8ca6a9.json"}}, {"family": "Vass", "given": "M\u00e1t\u00e9", "initials": "M", "orcid": "0000-0003-0718-7659", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/014e564385374b44ab642a6f0bebd40f.json"}}, {"family": "Berglund", "given": "Johnny", "initials": "J"}, {"family": "Saarinen", "given": "Anniina", "initials": "A"}, {"family": "Andersson", "given": "Agneta", "initials": "A"}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2025-10-00", "journal": {"title": "Environ Microbiol Rep", "issn": "1758-2229", "volume": "17", "issue": "5", "pages": "e70180", "issn-l": "1758-2229"}, "abstract": "The perfoliate pondweed, Potamogeton perfoliatus, is a common macrophyte in freshwater and subarctic coastal areas. This species builds extensive meadows that play a role as a filter removing nutrients traversing from land to sea and maintain essential ecosystem functions. Here, we investigated the function of perfoliate pondweed as a filter of potentially pathogenic bacteria by combining culture-dependent and 16S rRNA metabarcoding approaches. Our results suggest no significant nutrient reduction in the meadow region but the enrichment of potentially pathogenic bacteria, such as Vibrio, Legionella and Leptospira, particularly attached to macrophyte leaves. The bacterial community composition differed between seawater and macrophyte habitats, with higher relative abundances of Cyanobacteriia attached to macrophytes, without affecting alpha-diversity. The metabolic pathways of bacteria for aromatic and polymer compound degradation were enriched in the macrophytes, attributed to members of the genera Pseudorhodobacter, Novosphingobium and Erythrobacter. Functions related to such degradation suggest that the bacteria may be able to remove complex organic compounds coming from land. We argue that the macrophyte meadows may be relevant to both animal and human health, as these habitats can be hot spots for potentially pathogenic bacteria.", "doi": "10.1111/1758-2229.70180", "pmid": "40944299", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC12432016"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-21T12:16:45.514Z", "modified": "2026-08-21T12:16:45.535Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "521b3c7d172642a4a61181e7ff7b4147", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/521b3c7d172642a4a61181e7ff7b4147.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/521b3c7d172642a4a61181e7ff7b4147"}}, "title": "Microbial hitchhikers on microplastics: The exchange of aquatic microbes across distinct aquatic habitats.", "authors": [{"family": "Vass", "given": "M\u00e1t\u00e9", "initials": "M", "orcid": "0000-0003-0718-7659", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/014e564385374b44ab642a6f0bebd40f.json"}}, {"family": "Ramasamy", "given": "Kesava Priyan", "initials": "KP", "orcid": "0000-0003-0276-2239", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/8d2d57f28a344ccebcea19dcee8ca6a9.json"}}, {"family": "Andersson", "given": "Agneta", "initials": "A", "orcid": "0000-0001-7819-9038", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/893e3ab7b2ff4925bb8decc8c4f85b9f.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2024-04-00", "journal": {"title": "Environ. Microbiol.", "issn": "1462-2920", "volume": "26", "issue": "4", "pages": "e16618", "issn-l": "1462-2912"}, "abstract": "Microplastics (MPs) have the potential to modify aquatic microbial communities and distribute microorganisms, including pathogens. This poses a potential risk to aquatic life and human health. Despite this, the fate of 'hitchhiking' microbes on MPs that traverse different aquatic habitats remains largely unknown. To address this, we conducted a 50-day microcosm experiment, manipulating estuarine conditions to study the exchange of bacteria and microeukaryotes between river, sea and plastisphere using a long-read metabarcoding approach. Our findings revealed a significant increase in bacteria on the plastisphere, including Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Hyphomonas, Brevundimonas, Aquabacterium and Thalassolituus, all of which are known for their pollutant degradation capabilities, specifically polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We also observed a strong association of plastic-degrading fungi (i.e., Cladosporium and Plectosphaerella) and early-diverging fungi (Cryptomycota, also known as Rozellomycota) with the plastisphere. Sea MPs were primarily colonised by fungi (70%), with a small proportion of river-transported microbes (1%-4%). The mere presence of MPs in seawater increased the relative abundance of planktonic fungi from 2% to 25%, suggesting significant exchanges between planktonic and plastisphere communities. Using microbial source tracking, we discovered that MPs only dispersed 3.5% and 5.5% of river bacterial and microeukaryotic communities into the sea, respectively. Hence, although MPs select and facilitate the dispersal of ecologically significant microorganisms, drastic compositional changes across distinct aquatic habitats are unlikely.", "doi": "10.1111/1462-2920.16618", "pmid": "38561820", "labels": [], "xrefs": [], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-21T12:16:17.110Z", "modified": "2026-08-21T12:16:17.171Z"}]}