Air pollution may be a leading cause for antibiotic resistance globally, new study finds

Link Between Air Pollution and Antibiotic Resistance

A new study is linking air pollution to the global amount of antibiotic resistance, when medicines used to treat bacterial infections become less effective. Scientists found a connection between the two after analyzing data from over 116 countries over nearly two decades and shared their findings Monday in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health. In the model created by the researchers, air pollution was found to be responsible for 11% of changes in average antibiotic resistance levels globally, possibly making particle pollution a leading driver.

“Antibiotic resistance and air pollution are each in their own right among the greatest threats to global health,” wrote the study’s lead author Hong Chen.

However, the study, which examined nine bacterial pathogens and 43 types of antibiotics, is observational and can’t prove a connection or explain what the connection would be.

Understanding Particle Pollution and Antibiotic Resistance

The US Environmental Protection Agency defines PM2.5, also called particle pollution or particulate matter pollution, as the combination of solid and liquid droplets found in the air. Coal, cars, unpaved roads, construction sites, natural gas-fired plants, and wildfires can create particulate pollution. Dirt, dust, soot, and smoke are forms of particulate pollution.

WHO defines antibiotic resistance, also called antimicrobial resistance or AMR, as what happens when a particular pathogen like bacteria, fungi, or parasites is less affected by medicine, making battling infections difficult.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being – The study highlights the threat of antibiotic resistance to global health and emphasizes the need to address air pollution as a significant cause.
2. Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – Poor sanitation is identified as one of the activities contributing to antibiotic resistance, along with air pollution.
3. Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The study calls for further research and analysis to understand the connection between air pollution and antibiotic resistance.
4. Goal 13: Climate Action – The study suggests that every 1% increase in air pollution can lead to a rise in antibiotic resistance, indicating the importance of reducing air pollution to mitigate the impact on public health.
5. Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Collaboration between researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and other stakeholders is crucial to address the threat of antibiotic resistance and develop sustainable solutions.

While the possible connection needs to be further studied, the researchers said if their model’s analysis is accurate and consistent, then the level of antibiotic resistance around the world could be 17% higher by 2050, meaning around 840,000 people could die due to ineffective antibiotics.

Antimicrobial-resistant Cases and Deaths in the US

In 2019, more than 2.8 million Americans had antimicrobial-resistant infections and more than 35,000 died, according to the CDC. Worldwide, deaths already top 5 million a year and are expected to grow into the tens of millions within a few decades.

“We are truly right now in the midst of this crisis,” Brenda Wilson, a professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois said in a recent American Society for Microbiology talk.

The U.S. was making solid progress against antibiotic resistance before the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to improved infection prevention and control and better stewardship, deaths from antimicrobial resistance declined by 18% overall and 30% in hospitals from 2012 to 2017.

But the pandemic pushed hospitals and other healthcare facilities near their breaking point in 2020, leading to an increase in antibiotic use, trouble following infection prevention, and a significant increase in resistant infections in U.S. hospitals, the CDC found. Resistant hospital-onset infections and deaths increased at least 15% that year, although data outside hospitals is lacking.

Contributing: Karen Weintraub and Adrianna Rodriguez

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases.
   • Indicator 3.3.1: Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age, and key populations.
   • Indicator 3.3.2: Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population.
   • Indicator 3.3.3: Malaria incidence per 1,000 population.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
   • Indicator 11.6.2: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted).

3. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.

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Source: usatoday.com

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