Air Pollution linked with rise in antibiotic resistance in world population
Air Pollution linked with rise in antibiotic resistance in world population
New York
In what could be a wake-up call for governments around the world to reduce air pollution, a study has claimed that it could be the reason for the rise in antibiotic resistance in the world population.
The study says that antibiotic resistance microbes are rising due to Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 pollution in the air that contains diverse elements to enhance this phenomenon.
The study however failed to establish causes or point to exact mechanisms that are resulting in increased deaths due to this.
The study published in The Lancet Planetary Health further claims that the more the PM 2.5 pollution, the more antibiotic resistance there is.
The scientists involved in the study have analyzed the data from 116 countries between 2000 to 2018 to come to a conclusion.
“The world is in an era of antibiotic resistance in which antibiotic-treatment failure and mortality caused by bacterial infections are increasing.
Antibiotic resistance is a severe global issue, causing approximately 1·27 million premature deaths in 2019 worldwide. It is substantially exceeding the estimated 0·70 million deaths in 2016,” the study claims.
However, the main causes remain misuse and overuse of antibiotics for this phenomenon.
Antibiotic resistance is not just a human health issue but also affects animals and the environment.
“Air is recognized as being a direct pathway and key vector for disseminating antibiotic resistance.
The major air pollutant, in the form of PM 2.5, has been shown to contain diverse antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistance genes.
These are transferred between environments and directly inhaled by humans, causing respiratory-tract injury and infection,” it adds.
The study states that if corrective measures aren’t taken, it will lead 17% increase in antibiotic resistance and an over 50% increase in deaths by 2050.
The study was conducted by Zhenchao Zhou, Xinyi Shuai, Zejun Lin, Xi Yu, Xiaoliang Ba and prof Mark A Holmes.
