What are some stories that explore unintended hazards to infrastructure from engineered microbes? Not pathogens that infect humans or animals, but viruses or bacteria that attack hardware. One example that comes to mind is the 1973 novel, Mutant 59: The Plastic Eaters, by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis.
To cope with the spiraling proliferation of plastic waste, a team of biologists engineers a bacterium that eats certain kinds of synthetic polymers. The organism is accidentally released into the wild where it destroys the insulation on electrical wires, mechanical bushings, containers, and countless artifacts of a technological society. The problem escalates to disaster movie proportions.
While not exactly top shelf SF, the story nicely illustrates the so-called law of unintended consequences.
What are some other books and/or movies that consider potential threats to infrastructure from engineered microorganisms?
One brought in from outspace: The Andromeda Strain (The original film is an excellent adaptation of the novel as well.) That organism does not orginally affect polymers, but its mutation rate is extremely fast. It was assumed it was contained at the crash site, a helicopter goes down while patrolling the area. Once airborne and mutated, it ate all the seals on the craft, including those in the engine.
Considering we have a few in the Pac Gyre that have occurred naturally, I feel it’s only inevitable. Just don’t know if that’s destroy civilisation prior to us.
In Larry Niven’s Ringworld series, the Ringworld civilization was crashed when the Pierson’s Puppeteers infected the structure with a microbe that destroyed their room temperature super conductors.
Well, it’s only a part of the story line.