The presence of heavy metals in the soil would make bacteria more resistant.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the major issues in global health. It refers to the fact that bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. While the massive and sometimes inappropriate use of antibiotics contributes to this, other factors may be responsible. A study published in Microbial Biotechnology indicates that pollution would also be linked to this phenomenon. According to researchers from the University of Georgia in the United States, soil pollution by heavy metals could contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Bacteria able to resist antibiotics
Scientists found that the presence of bacteria, whose genes were characteristic of antibiotic resistance, in high concentrations in soils rich in heavy metals, located in South Carolina. Bacteria acidobacteriaoceae, bradyrhizobiumand streptomyces have genes that allow them to resist three molecules: polymyxin, vancomycin and bacitracin. All three are used in the manufacture of medicines to treat infections. The bacteria also had multi-metal resistance genes, to survive against arsenic, zinc or even cadmium.
On the need to understand the evolution of bacteria
According to one of the study’s authors, Jesse C. Thomas, the microorganisms present in the soil are developing new strategies to protect themselves. “The excessive use of antibiotics in the environment adds additional pressure on microorganisms, increasing their ability to resist different types of molecules”, he explains. For him, it is clear that agriculture or the combustion of fossil fuels contribute to the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. “We need a better understanding of how bacteria evolve over time, he warns, it can impact drinking water, food and even our health.”
A global danger
I’World Health Organization (WHO) classifies antibiotic resistance among the “greatest threats to global health, food security and development”. This phenomenon makes the treatment of certain infections more difficult, such as tuberculosis or pneumonia, because the drugs become less effective. The WHO recommends not to abuse antibiotics, but also to prevent infections by respecting the rules of hygiene, such as hand washing, and by getting vaccinated.
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