Anthropogenic Disruption Versus Natural Restoration: Enterobacter cloacae-Driven Barnacle Larval Settlement and Its Mitigation via Natural Bacteriophages.

ABSTRACT: Coastal regions support approximately 60% of the global population and face escalating anthropogenic pollution, which disrupts the dynamics of marine and coastal ecosystems. The discharge of over 80% of sewage without adequate treatment introduces human pathogenic microorganisms into coastal waters, posing significant risks to ecological integrity and public health. This challenge is exacerbated by cross-resistance between antibiotics and biocides, whereby biocide use for biofilm control in coastal industries may inadvertently select for resistant pathogens of terrestrial origin. While microbial biofilms are known to promote macrofouling by facilitating invertebrate larval settlement, a major operational challenge for marine industries, the role of anthropogenic microbial contamination in

SUBMITTER: Khan A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12836379 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature