2023-09-05 05:23:00
Traces of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which were thought to spread mainly in hospitals in the past, have recently been found in domestic sewage, livestock and industrial wastewater, and even rivers. Experts believe that realistic alternatives must be established to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens along with environmental monitoring./News 1
Although the amount of antibiotics used by domestic medical institutions is gradually decreasing, several traces of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been found in nature, indicating an urgent need for monitoring and related research.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases announced on the 5th that the use of antibiotics in medical institutions across the country has decreased by about 6.5% over the past four years. But the problem is antibiotic resistance genes that have already flowed into nature and can spread everywhere.
Recently, several studies have been published in the academic world that antibiotic resistance genes have been found in domestic sewage, livestock and industrial wastewater, and even rivers. Antibiotic resistance genes were thought to spread only in hospitals in the past, but now it has been revealed that they spread through the natural environment, especially water.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are bacteria that have a gene (mutation) that makes the antibiotics that prevent them from multiplying less effective. Infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be life-threatening because antibiotic treatment does not work. Each year, 1.3 million people worldwide die from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Previously, it was thought that bacteria that were resistant to drugs mainly occurred in hospitals and spread through the feces and urine of patients. However, recent studies have revealed that more cases occur as natural mutations in bacteria living in nature.
On the 5th of this month, researchers from the Department of System Biotechnology at Chung-Ang University analyzed 1,100 microbial genes obtained from the water of the Han River and published a research result showing that Patescibacteria, which account for one-third of the world’s microorganisms, play a role in transferring antibiotic resistance genes. It was published in the journal ‘Journal of Hazardous Materials’.
In particular, it was also revealed that the antibiotic resistance gene spread to the Han River mainly through wastewater. The researchers suggest that further studies are needed to determine how bacteria spread antibiotic resistance genes in different environments.
An electron microscope image of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Yellow is bacteria, red is dead white blood cells./NIH
In February of last year, the research team also isolated a bacterium (Pedobacter aquae sp. nov.) that is resistant to various drugs (multidrug resistance) from freshwater in Gangwon Province. This means that bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics in nature, rather than being cultured in hospitals or laboratories.
In December 2020, together with researchers from the University of South Wales and Cardiff University Medical School in the UK, E. coli with antibiotic resistance was found in two wastewater treatment plants in the UK. The researchers pointed out that these bacteria and genes can infect humans again through direct or indirect contact with contaminated water and land, or through drinking water and the food chain. Recognizing the antibiotic resistance gene as a new environmental pollutant, he emphasized that it should be reduced in the treatment process for reuse of wastewater.
In 2020, researchers from Inha University Life Sciences, Chung-Ang University Department of System Biotechnology, and Myongji University Department of Life Sciences and Informatics discovered for the first time that viruses living in the Han River can spread antibiotic resistance genes (HRV) to bacteria in nature. They identified phages, which are viruses that infect bacteria. It was analyzed that the phage infects antibiotic-resistant bacteria, obtains the gene in the process of breeding, and later spreads it when infecting other bacteria.
Experts take it for granted that bacteria resistant to antibiotics exist in the natural environment. It is the result of bacteria evolving to resist antibiotics over time. However, he pointed out that there have been many antibiotic resistance genes that have recently flowed into nature due to drug misuse, overcrowding, and industrial activities. As the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria increases, the number of patients who are life-threatening due to infection can increase, so it is necessary to establish realistic alternatives along with environmental monitoring.
reference material
Journal of Hazardous Materials(2023) DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131761
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek(2021) DOI: 10.1007/s10482-022-01708-w
Microbiome(2020) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-020-00863-4
PLoS One(2020) Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237283
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