Air Pollution Contributes To Increase in Antibiotic Resistance, Posing Major Threat to Human Health

Antibiotic resistance is an urgent global public health threat responsible for the death of at least 1.27 million people globally. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is also attributed to almost 5 million deaths in 2019.

Drug-resistant pathogens develop as a result of misuse and overuse of antibiotics. A study conducted by researchers from China and the UK revealed that air pollution may also be associated with antibiotic resistance among disease-causing bacteria.

Rising Threat of Infections

Air is recognized as a direct pathway for spreading pathogens, but there is limited information on the role of air pollution in carrying antibiotic-resistant genes. For the first time, experts investigated the global correlation between particulate matter (PM) 2.5 in the air and the cases of bacteria that have become immune to antibiotic drugs.

Led by Professor Hong Chen of Zhejiang University in China, the research team made an extensive dataset to investigate the influence of PM2.5 in driving global antibiotic resistance. The study used data from 116 countries gathered from 2000 to 2018.

It was revealed that antibiotic resistance is affected by increasing levels of PM2.5 in the air. For every 10% increase in air pollution, there is a rise in antibiotic resistance by 1.1%. This connection also strengthens over time, where changes in PM2.5 levels lead to a more significant increase in antibiotic resistance in the previous years. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that pollution-triggered antibiotic resistance is responsible for almost 480,000 premature deaths in 2018.

The study also includes a model of future scenarios if the air pollution policies will not improve. It is estimated that global antibiotic resistance could increase by up to 17% by 2050, with annual premature death rising to almost 840,000.

Until now, the research team still does not clearly explain the possible connection between air pollution and antibiotic resistance. However, it suggests that the advantages of controlling air pollution can be twofold. First, curbing air pollution can help reduce the negative health impact of poor air quality. It can also play a significant role in fighting the rise and spread of drug-immune pathogens.

Health Impact of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics are drugs used in preventing and treating bacterial infections. Once a particular strain of bacteria changes its response to the use of these drugs, antibiotic resistance is developed. It can hurt anyone, regardless of age and location.

Bacteria naturally develop resistance against certain drugs, but misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals accelerates the process. In some cases, the bacteria that have become immune to antibiotics can spread the resistance to other bacteria they meet.

As bacteria get more immune to antibiotics, various infections like tuberculosis, salmonellosis, pneumonia, and gonorrhea are becoming more challenging to treat since the drugs used in curing them become less effective. It also leads to higher medical costs, extended hospital stays, and increased mortality. Some bacterial strains are also considered superbugs because they do not respond to different types of antibiotics.