6/30/2023 0 Comments Download wax worms moth![]() So, it seems that there is a synergy between the bacteria and their waxworm hosts that accelerates plastic degradation.” In fact, the study showed that feeding the waxworms a 100 percent polyethylene diet increased the microbes in their guts when compared to worms that were fed their normal diet or were starved, suggesting the bacteria thrive on plastics. ![]() “Likewise, when we treated the caterpillars with antibiotics to reduce their gut bacteria, they were not able to degrade the plastic as easily. “Plastic-eating bacteria are known, but in isolation they degrade plastics at a very slow rate,” Dr. Working with BU students Sachi Villanueva, Harald Grove and Oluwadara Elebute, the researchers isolated a species of intestinal bacteria in the worms that was able to survive on plastic for more than a year as its only source of nutrients.
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