Environmental pollution contributes to the growth of bacterial resistance, according to a new study. Air pollution may contribute to increased resistance to antibiotics, according to a new study. New data shows that resistance to antibiotics increases with the level of fine particles in the air, which are formed as a result of the work of internal combustion engines.
The main cause of antibiotic resistance remains inappropriate use of medicines. However, recent data suggest that the problem may be exacerbated by air pollution. Antibiotic resistance is one of the top 10 global health threats, according to the World Health Organization.
The researchers used data from more than a hundred countries collected over two decades. The results of their work were published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health. The analysis, based on data from more than 100 countries over two decades, found that increases in air pollution correlate with increases in antibiotic resistance in every country and on every continent. According to the researchers, this association was “universal for most antibiotic-resistant bacteria worldwide.”
The study showed that antibiotic resistance increases as the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) produced by engine fuel combustion increases, which can enter the lungs and bloodstream.
“Over time, this relationship has strengthened, and changes in PM2.5 levels have led to a more significant increase in resistance in recent years,” the researchers said. Particularly high levels of particulate matter and antibiotic resistance were found in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
According to the researchers, the results obtained open up new avenues for combating resistance from an ecological perspective. “Antibiotic resistance and air pollution are among the most serious threats to the health of the world’s population,” said one of the study’s authors, Professor Hong Chen of Zhejiang University. “Until now, we did not have a clear understanding of the possible link between them, but our work suggests that air pollution control can have a double benefit: not only will it reduce the harmful effects of low air quality, but it will also play an important role in combating the growth and spread of resistant bacteria,” the scientist believes.
Overuse of antibiotics remains the leading cause of bacterial resistance. Antibiotic resistance is considered one of the fastest-growing threats to global health. According to a separate Lancet study, approximately 1.27 million people will die in 2019 due to bacterial resistance to antimicrobial drugs. According to the United Nations, if the situation does not change radically, up to 10 million people could die by 2050 from superbugs and related forms of antimicrobial resistance, comparable to the annual global death toll from cancer.
The authors of the study did not focus on identifying the reasons why air pollution and antibiotic resistance are correlated – their goal was simply to identify the correlation itself. They acknowledge that the lack of data from some countries may have affected the overall results of the analysis.
According to scientists, solid PM2.5 particles can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria with their resistance genes, which can be transferred between environments and directly into the lungs when inhaled. Until recently, there was limited data on how much air pollution from PM2.5 particles affects antibiotic resistance on a global scale. The term PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that is 30 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. The main sources of PM2.5 are automobile traffic, industrial processes, coal burning, and residential wood burning. It is estimated that approximately 7.3 billion people worldwide are directly exposed to unsafe annual levels of PM2.5.
To investigate whether PM2.5 is a key determinant of global antibiotic resistance, the authors collected a vast amount of data based on statistics from 116 countries between 2000 and 2018. The number of offers should be maintained: The sources used were the World Health Organization, the European Environment Agency, and the World Bank.
The data obtained indicate that antibiotic resistance increases with increasing PM2.5 levels: for every 10% increase in air pollution, there is a 1.1% increase in antibiotic resistance. This link becomes stronger over time, and in recent years, changes in PM2.5 levels have led to a more significant increase in resistance. The authors believe that future research should focus on studying the primary mechanism of air pollution’s effect on antibiotic resistance.