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Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in clouds

2023-04-28T23:19:45.304Z


A French-Canadian study reveals that these bacteria could thus travel over very long distances. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been discovered even in the clouds, traveling with the wind, sometimes over very long distances, reveals a Franco-Canadian study. “These bacteria usually live on the leaves or in the soil ,” explains Florent Rossi, lead author of the study, during a telephone interview with AFP on Friday. “We discovered that they were carried by the wind into the atmosphere and t


Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been discovered even in the clouds, traveling with the wind, sometimes over very long distances, reveals a Franco-Canadian study.

“These bacteria usually live on the leaves or in the soil

,” explains Florent Rossi, lead author of the study, during a telephone interview with AFP on Friday.

“We discovered that they were carried by the wind into the atmosphere and that they could travel long distances, and even cross the globe at high altitude thanks to the clouds

,” he adds.

To reach these conclusions, researchers from Laval University in Quebec and Clermont Auvergne University took samples using high-speed “vacuum cleaners” from the clouds forming above the Puy de Dôme. , a dormant volcano in central France, between September 2019 and October 2021. From the atmospheric research station perched at 1,465 meters, scientists analyzed these samples for antibiotic resistance genes.

As a result, the clouds contained between 330 and more than 30,000 bacteria per milliliter of water, for an average of about 8,000 bacteria per milliliter.

29 antibiotic resistance gene subtypes have also been identified in bacteria.

With the widespread use of antibiotics in health care but also in agriculture, this type of strain represents a

"major health challenge on a global scale"

, indicates the study.

On several occasions, world health authorities have highlighted the risks associated with these bacteria, which make the treatment of certain infections increasingly complex.

There is nothing to fear when walking in the rain.

»

Florent Roussi, co-author of the study

The study, however, offers no conclusions on the potential health effects of the airborne spread of bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes, estimating that only 5-50% of these organisms could be alive and potentially active.

"The atmosphere is very harsh on bacteria, and most of those we found were environmental bacteria

," less likely to be harmful to humans, says Florent Rossi.

“So there is nothing to be afraid of when walking in the rain”

, ironically the researcher adds that

“we don't know if these genes can be transmitted to other bacteria”

.

In-depth atmospheric monitoring could, however, make it possible to locate where these bacteria come from and thus

“limit their dispersion”

, suggests the researcher, taking the example of wastewater analyzes aimed at detecting the presence of Covid-19 and other pathogens.

The study was published in the March issue of the journal

Science of The Total Environment

.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-04-28

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