Air pollution and antibiotic resistance

Air pollution and antibiotic resistance

News: Air pollution is helping to drive a rise in antibiotic resistance that poses a significant threat to human health worldwide, a global study suggests.

Background:
• The analysis, using data from more than 100 countries spanning nearly two decades, indicates that increased air pollution is linked with rising antibiotic resistance across every country and continent.
• It also suggests the link between the two has strengthened over time, with increases in air pollution levels coinciding with larger rises in antibiotic resistance.

What is Antibiotic resistance?
• Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem that affects the ability to treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change in response to the use of antibiotics, making them less effective or ineffective against the bacteria.
• In simple words it means that some infections that used to be easily cured by antibiotics may become harder or impossible to treat, leading to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs, and increased mortality.

What are the key findings of the study?
• Particulate matter PM2.5 in the air can contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes, which might be inhaled by humans, potentially contributing to resistance.
• The study suggests that reducing air pollution could help mitigate antibiotic resistance.
• The study acknowledges that while air pollution is recognized as a pathway for disseminating antibiotic resistance, there is limited data on specific routes that antibiotic-resistant genes travel via air pollution.
• The research found that antibiotic resistance increases with PM2.5 air pollution, with a 10% rise in pollution associated with a 1.1% increase in resistance.
• A modelling scenario suggests that without changes to current air pollution policies, antibiotic resistance could rise by 17% by 2050, resulting in around 840,000 annual premature deaths attributed to resistance.