Each year at least 2 million Americans are infected with bacteria that cannot be treated with antibiotics, and at least 23,000 of these people die, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Each year at least 2 million Americans are infected with bacteria that cannot be treated with antibiotics, and at least 23,000 of these people die, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
These bacteria can end up in our water, which is why we use disinfectants to kill or stop them from growing to treat both waste and drinking water.
But so far, few researchers have looked at whether these treatments are effective in removing the genes that encode for the traits that make these bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Some researchers are concerned that, even after treatment, non-resistant bacteria could still become resistant by picking up intact genes left over from damaged antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Although it’s not clear if this is currently happening, researchers want to be prepared for this scenario. So, a team at the University of Washington tested how well current water and wastewater disinfecting methods affect antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial DNA. While these methods work well to deter bacterial growth, they had varied success in either degrading or deactivating a representative antibiotic resistance gene.
Read more at University of Washington
Photo: UW researchers tested how well current water and wastewater disinfecting methods damage a bacterial antibiotic resistance gene. Shown here is doctoral student Huan He is testing how rapidly UV light damages the gene. CREDIT: Mark Stone/University of Washington
