Travel promotes the transport of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, new study finds “Of last resort”.
Travel, Bacteria Vectors
Notice to travelers: while traveling abroad, it is possible to bring back “Super bacteria” who have the ability to resist certain drugs. This is what American and Dutch researchers say, in their study published in the medical journal Genome Medicine and whose results are reported by 20 minutes. Scientists analyzed bacteria in the stomachs and stools of 190 Dutch travelers, before and after they passed through parts of Africa and Asia. The tests carried out have demonstrated the existence “A significant amount” antimicrobial resistant genes. These genes make the use of antibiotics ineffective. Scientists also found that a third of participants who traveled to Southeast Asia had a gene resistant to an antibiotic from ” last resort “, useful for treating pathologies such as pneumonia or meningitis.
Years of research into infectious diseases are at stake
“These results clearly show that international travel risks spreading antimicrobial resistance around the world”, said Alaric D’Souza, co-author of this work. According to the researchers, these “ super bacteria ‘ brought by travelers can wipe out nearly seventy years of progress against certain diseases. These resistances should normally develop over several millennia. This is due to the high exposure of bacteria to natural antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics by humans undeniably speeds up the process. According to American and Dutch researchers, the resistant genes may be different, depending on the places visited. For example, travelers returning from Southeast Asia with a gene named “MCR-1” is resistant to colistin, a ‘last resort’ antibiotic used when others no longer work.