Research published in theWater Research journal in September 2019 showed that after intense rainfall,some antibiotic-resistant bacteria linger in Sydney’s seawater for days after other illness-causing bacteria have died. Professor Labbate said that swallowed seawater could enable drug-resistant DNA to be absorbed by the swimmer in a process called lateral gene transfer.
“It’s a bit like sharing photos via a smartphone Airdrop,” Professor Labbate says. The drug-resistant bacteria bumps against normal human gut bacteria and transfers some of its drug-resistant genes,he says. “You’re then at higher risk of treatment failure the next time you require antibiotics.”
Each year,about 2500 Australians die from drug resistance – known in the health sector as antimicrobial resistance – and rates are increasing. The public health impact is serious but not yet visible.
If no action is taken,a global death toll of 10 million people a year by 2050 is predicted in the British government’s policy on antimicrobial resistance.
Westmead Hospital infection prevention and disease control clinical chairman Ramon Shaban agrees with these predictions.
“We’ve become increasingly unable to treat certain infections,” Dr Shaban says. “Drug resistance is increasing faster and faster.”