Rivers and seas host a multitude of bacteria. Groundwater is also affected, but to a lesser extent.
Effluents from cities, hospitals, farming, and industry all release antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as well as antibiotics and antibiotic residues, into waterways, the sea and potentially into groundwater.
Aquatic sediments can facilitate the transfer of resistance genes from resistant bacteria to natural bacteria. Antibiotics and antibiotic residues can disrupt aquatic microbiomes by destroying certain bacteria.
Water as a vector and contributor to the spread of the phenomenon across different environments
For humans, the ingestion of contaminated water or consumption of aquatic animals or seafood contaminated with resistant bacteria can lead to the temporary presence of resistant bacteria in our digestive tract. This presence can become permanent if our microbiota is altered. The effect on the human microbiome of consuming or ingesting water or food contaminated with antibiotic residues remains difficult to measure at the current time.
Solutions exist to protect our rivers and seas:
- Reduce antibiotic use in human and animal healthcare
- Never dispose of medication/drugs in the toilet or waste bin
- Treat and filter wastewater before release
- Alter practices for the spreading of sewage sludge and manure
- Implement monitoring programmes to identify high-risk areas worldwide and to focus actions