Full article here:[snip]
They found many more bacteria resistant to a class of clinically-important antibiotics called third-generation cephalosporins (3GC) in downstream water.
These drugs are broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat a whole range of problems, including meningitis, septicaemia, and so-called hospital-acquired infections.
Most worryingly, the scientists found that 3GC-resistant E. coli were seven times more common downstream of a UK sewage plant than upstream.
'Our findings suggest that resistance is spreading, because of a gene called blaCTX-M-15. This gene is carried on a mobile genetic element called a plasmid. Bacteria collect these genes to allow them to adapt to their environment,' says Wellington.
'This is a big deal, because this is the most common bacterial antibiotic resistance gene causing failures in treatment of infections, and it's the first time anyone has seen this gene in UK rivers. The problem is we're use river water to irrigate crops, people swim or canoe in rivers, and both wildlife and food animals come into contact with river water.'
'These bacteria also spread during flooding. And with more flooding and heavy rain, this could get worse.'
A previous study found that a third of people swimming in areas of the River Thames come down with some kind of stomach bug, highlighting the threat to human health posed by rivers. 'You really run the risk of getting gastroenteritis,' added Wellington.
As well as finding antibiotic-resistant bacteria downstream of the sewage plant, Wellington and her colleagues found E. coli which has become resistant to a less commonly used antibiotic called imipenem in the same region of the river - the first time such bacteria have been found in the wild.
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