This dataset contains information relating to the survival and persistence of clinically relevant strains of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae on plastic and vegetation, under environmentally relevant conditions. The data encompass bacterial strain identity, material type, timepoints (days), bacterial concentration (CFU/ml) and survival percentages. Data were sampled over a 28-day period using culture-based approaches; and the ability of isolates to cause disease following their recovery was determined through the use of a Galleria mellonella model. The ability of isolates to persist on materials, dissociate from materials into water bodies, and recolonise materials was also determined. This work was supported by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of the GCRF SPACES project [grant number NE/V005847/1] and the Plastic Vectors project, “Microbial hitch-hikers of marine plastics: the survival, persistence & ecology of microbial communities in the ‘Plastisphere’” [grant number NE/S005196/1]. Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/b9bfdb6f-5e5e-496f-bf0c-bb9931f6046b

This dataset contains information relating to the rate of colonisation of E. coli O157 on plastic and banana leaf, under simulated environmental conditions. The data encompass bacterial strain identity, material type, timepoints (days), temperature (°C), and bacterial concentration (CFU/ml). Data were sampled over defined periods using culture-based approaches. This work was supported by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of the GCRF SPACES project [grant number NE/V005847/1] and the Plastic Vectors project, “Microbial hitch-hikers of marine plastics: the survival, persistence & ecology of microbial communities in the ‘Plastisphere’” [grant number NE/S005196/1]. Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/abbc69c2-b799-4892-a339-fb1ffa4ea2f0

This dataset contains information relating to the temporal and geographic distribution of clinically relevant bacterial pathogens on waste materials (plastics, fabrics, organics) within urban waste piles, in Blantyre, Malawi. The data was collected between June 2022 and July 2023. This work was supported by the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of the GCRF SPACES project [grant number NE/V005847/1] and the Plastic Vectors project, "Microbial hitch-hikers of marine plastics: the survival, persistence & ecology of microbial communities in the 'Plastisphere'" [grant number NE/S005196/1]. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/994c9c66-cf12-44af-9716-810c18985e18

The data includes concentrations of faecal indicator organisms isolated from the plastic waste and natural substrates found on Scottish beaches, as well as the antibiotic resistance of selected strains of these organisms. Sewage-associated plastic waste, and naturally occurring substrates (seaweed and sand), were collected in 2021 from ten beaches along the Firth of Forth estuary (Scotland, UK). The concentrations of faecal indicator organisms (FIOs), E. coli and intestinal enterococci (IE), and potential human pathogens (Vibrio spp.) on the plastic waste and natural substrates were analysed using selective media. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) analysis was used to determine antibiotic resistance in selected strains. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/9d0a6437-f01e-4cf3-9f83-86d2f4ead869