Air pollution increases the risk of antibiotic resistance

According to a study published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, air pollution can make antibiotic resistance worse.

Air pollution causes between 3 - 9 million deaths each year (depending on how it is estimated) and is one of the biggest killers humanity has ever faced.

People can wear masks to protect themselves from air pollution, but they cannot prevent the rise of super bacteria - (Photo: IFL SCIENCE).

Meanwhile, antibiotic resistance causes 1.3 million deaths annually. This number is expected to increase to 10 million.

Although antibiotic resistance is a natural evolutionary response to microbial control, overprescription of antibiotics and overuse of antibiotics in animal feed have made the situation worse. .

Not only that, a recent study found that the risk of antibiotic resistance increases with the level of air pollution.

Professor Hong Chen of Zhejiang University, China, and colleagues compared the rate of PM 2.5 fine dust (dust particles with a size of 2.5 microns or less) with the test results of 9 species of bacteria. bacteria and 43 types of antibiotics, along with other factors that can influence local antibiotic rates.

The results showed that when the proportion of fine dust PM 2.5 increased by 1%, the possibility of antibiotic resistance increased by 0.5 - 1.9%. What's worrying is that the above relationship seems to become "stronger" over time.

According to Professor Chen, air pollution is one of the biggest determining factors in the 11% increase in antibiotic resistance globally. However, the mechanism of their association remains unclear.

It's possible that bacteria "hitchhike" on small dust particles, allowing resistant bacteria to spread further. It's also possible that fine dust weakens the human immune system, allowing drug-resistant bacteria to grow where they could otherwise be wiped out.

The presence of contaminants can also facilitate horizontal gene transfer between resistant and non-resistant bacteria.

The research team estimates that air pollution that increases antibiotic resistance is responsible for 480,000 premature deaths in 2018. Without intervention to control urban pollution, the number of deaths will increase. increase to 840,000 people per year by 2050.