homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Want to assess antibiotic resistance in an area? Test wastewater, researchers say

A study of seven different countries found that clinical antibiotic resistance in a region is reflected by the number of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater.

Mihai Andrei
March 27, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

share Share

A study of seven different countries found that clinical antibiotic resistance in a region is reflected by the number of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater. Wastewater could act as a cradle for antibiotic-resistant bacteria but thankfully, most treatment plants seem to be able to successfully eliminate these germs.

Image credits: Chesapeake Bay Program.

Drug-resistant bacteria are no longer a problem for the future — they’re already here and causing massive damage. In Europe alone, they kill over 33,000 people every year, and things aren’t much better in other parts of the world. This is just the tip of the iceberg, researchers say — the looming danger is so great that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared drug resistance one of the “biggest threats to global health.”

However, drug resistance can be difficult to assess in a large area. In a new study carried out in seven European countries, researchers studied drug resistance in 12 plants, comparing the results to bacteria found in samples collected from patients in that region. They also compared results to overall antibiotic consumption in the areas.

They found that antibiotic resistance in wastewater bacteria is a good indicator of antibiotic resistance in the general population. They also painted a rough pattern of resistance on the old continent. People in southern countries (Spain, Portugal, Cyprus) and Ireland consume more antibiotics than those in Finland, Norway, and Germany. Consequently, countries in the first group also exhibit higher levels of antibiotic resistance.

1. Antibiotic consumption by country in 2015; 2. Number of E. coli bacteria resistant to antibiotics in clinical specimens; 3. The extent of resistance in the wastewater of the investigated countries. Note the correlation between them. Image credits: Antti Karkman.

However, all countries exhibit at least some level of drug-resistant bacteria. The good news is that wastewater plants were effective at cleaning the water — at least most of the time.

“In this study, 11 of the 12 wastewater treatment plants under investigation mitigated the resistance problem, which seems to indicate that modern plants work well in this regard,” says lead author Marko Virta from the University of Helsinki.

“At the same time, an older plant or otherwise deficient purification process may end up increasing antibiotic resistance in the environment. We need more research findings from countries with high antibiotic consumption and less developed wastewater treatment practices.” It’s not clear what factors ensure that the bacteria is wiped out. Plausible factors are the age and size of the treatment plant, the techniques used, wastewater temperature, the amount of antibiotic residue in the water, and the interaction between the bacteria and various types of protozoa found in the water.

The problem is that this water is typically used in irrigation and ends up in agricultural fields, seeping into soils, plants, and ultimately ending up on our plates. More research is required to see what the best techniques are to thoroughly clean the water of drug-resistant bacteria.

The study has been published in Science Advances. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau9124

share Share

If you use ChatGPT a lot, this study has some concerning findings for you

So, umm, AI is not your friend — literally.

Revenge of the Fish: A Bone Pierced Through Man’s Gut and Stabbed His Liver

A swallowed bone made its way from the gut to the liver, causing weeks of mystery pain

Miyazaki Hates Your Ghibli-fied Photos and They're Probably a Copyright Breach Too

“I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself,” he said.

This Is Why Human Faces Look So Different From Neanderthals

Your face stops growing in a way that neanderthals' never did.

AI-Assisted Wearable Device 'Speaks' For People With Dysfunctional Vocal Cords

Speech-language pathology is an area of medical science based on the mechanics of voice production and the evaluation, treatment and prevention of communication. AI-assisted technology is now part of treatment options for conditions that affect speech, such as stuttering or the inability to control specific muscles after a stroke.  UCLA bioengineers have created a device […]

Scientists sawed a human brain into 703 cubes to map its energy system for the first time

Your brain burns 20 percent of your body’s energy and now we know exactly where it goes.

This Tiny Nuclear Battery Could Last for Thousands of Years Without Charging

The radiocarbon battery is supposed to be safe for everyday operations.

Bad microphone? The people on your call probably think less of you

As it turns out, a bad microphone may be standing between you and your next job.

New study shows why you should switch to filtered coffee

It doesn't matter what type of coffee or filter. Just filter your coffee.

Sharks Aren’t Silent After All. This One Clicks Like a Castanet

This is the first evidence of sound production in a shark.