A groundbreaking study recently unearthed a startling link between air pollution levels and the escalation in global antibiotic resistance, with the potential for medicines intended to combat bacterial infections becoming unsatisfactorily effective.
The research, shared in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, scrutinized data from 116 countries spanning nearly two decades, attributing air pollution to 11% of average antibiotic resistance alterations worldwide. However, while such revelations could potentially position particle pollution as a primary driver, it’s imperative to consider the study’s observational nature. It neither confirms a direct cause-effect relationship nor elucidates the exact mechanics of connection between air pollution and antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance, rendering infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis increasingly arduous to treat, is a grave global health concern as recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). Parallel to this, a model designed by the scholars demonstrated a consistent rise in levels of particulate pollution, also known as PM2.5, and antibiotic resistance. PM2.5 comprises a mixture of solid and liquid droplets found in the air, arising from sources that include coal, cars, construction sites, wildfires and natural gas-fired plants.
Identifying it as a prominent cause of antibiotic resistance, along with widespread factors like poor sanitation, unsystematic antibiotic usage and inadequate infection control in hospitals, is of significant importance.
Following the study’s modelling analysis, a 1% surge in air pollution could be associated with an increase in antibiotic resistance ranging between 0.5 and 1.9%. If accurate, the implication is that by 2050, the level of worldwide antibiotic resistance could rise by 17%, leading to approximately 840,000 fatalities owing to ineffective antibiotics.
In the USA alone, over 2.8 million individuals had antimicrobial-resistant infections resulting in more than 35,000 deaths in 2019, the latest year for which data is available. Furthermore, a staggering 5 million deaths occurred globally, and it’s predicted this number will balloon into tens of millions within the next few decades.
Despite noticeable progress in the battle against antibiotic resistance mainly through improved infection control and better stewardship before the COVID-19 outbreak, the pandemic had a heavy toll. Heightened pressure on health care facilities in 2020 saw a surge in antibiotic use, challenges in infection prevention, and a substantial increase in resistant infections in American hospitals.
Source: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/health/2023/08/10/study-air-pollution-may-be-a-main-cause-for-antibiotic-resistance/70562069007/