Parengyodontium album

Fungal species

Parengyodontium album is a globally distributed fungal species known for breaking down plastics and items of historical importance. Discoveries in the early 21st century revealed its presence in marine ecosystems, colonizing and breaking down polyethylene, the most abundant plastic in oceans. Marine microbiologists from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and collaborators from various international institutions found P. album, along with other marine microbes, living in thin biofilms on plastics scattered throughout the ocean. Though many types of bacteria have been shown to break down plastics, Parengyodontium album is only one of four species of marine fungi known to have this capability as of 2024.

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