Scientists find air pollution may be responsible for rising antibiotic resistance

The rise in infections and antibiotic-resistant bacteria may be linked to air pollution, according to a new global analysis.

The scientists studied data from 116 countries over nearly 20 years and published their findings Tuesday in the journal Nature. Lancet Planetary Health.

“Antibiotic resistance and air pollution themselves are the biggest threats to global health,” said lead author Hong Chen from Zhejiang University in China.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when drugs used to treat bacterial infections lose their effectiveness.

It is considered one of the greatest threats to global health, according to the World Health Organization, as infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis become increasingly difficult to treat World Health Organization (WHO)

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In 2019, more than one million people worldwide died from antibiotic resistance, According to global analysis published last year European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) According to reports, more than 35,000 people in Europe die each year from drug-resistant bacterial infections.

Misuse and overuse of antibiotics remains a major contributor to antibiotic resistance, but new analysis suggests air pollution may also be a contributing factor, researchers say.

The relationship between air pollution and antibiotic resistance also strengthened over time, the researchers said.

“So far, we don’t know what the possible link between the two is, but this work suggests that the benefits of controlling air pollution may be twofold: not only does it reduce the harmful effects of poor air quality, but it also works in the play an important role in combating the rise and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” Chen said in a statement.

Particle pollution linked to antibiotic resistance

Scientists have found that PM2.5 (small particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter) increases antibiotic resistance. They are dangerous because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and even into a person’s bloodstream.

Estimated to exceed four million people Every year, people die prematurely from exposure to air pollution linked to these fine particles.

This type of air pollution is caused by things like the burning of fossil fuels, cigarette smoke and forest fires.

According to the new analysis, for every 1% increase in air pollution, antibiotic resistance increased by 0.5% to 1.9%.

The researchers found that PM2.5 is one of the main drivers of antibiotic resistance, with North Africa and Western Asia being the regions where these fine particulates have the greatest impact on antibiotic resistance.

“Antibiotic resistance elements carried by air pollutants may be directly exposed to humans, posing a huge risk, because the daily ingestion of antibiotic resistance genes through inhalation exceeds the intake of antibiotic resistance genes through drinking water,” the authors stated in the study. .”

Antibiotic resistance could increase by 17 percent by 2050 if air pollution policies do not change, the study authors added.

The dataset used for analysis included more than 11.5 million tests covering 9 bacterial pathogens and 43 antibiotics.

The authors note that one of the study’s limitations is the lack of data for some low- and middle-income countries, which are most affected by antibiotic resistance.