How Antibiotics Resistant Bacteria gets into Water Sources
By Craig Bashore|Environmental Science Major
Antibiotics have been a staple in medicine for a long time but we are now seeing the issues with using them. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are showing up in areas where they should not be. Our own water sources are one place we are starting to find these bacteria, and this can cause health problems to people using this water to drink. So how does this bacteria end up in our freshwater sources? The problem arises from the usage of antibiotics in areas that are not regulated. For example our own human consumption, water treatment, and farm practices that cause antibiotic-resistant bacteria to be present in our water sources.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria become resistant when there is an overuse of antibiotics in that environment. Bacteria reproduce asexually quickly, so the chance of mutation in the DNA of at least one bacteria is high.The mutation changes the protein created which can cause the bacteria to become resistant. The antibiotic kills off the bacteria that do not have the resistant gene. Bacteria can become resistant three different ways. The first way is that the bacteria degrades enzymes of the antibiotics. Another way is that the mutation causes the change of nucleotide base sequence causing the creation of a new protein. The protein that changes is the one that is targeted by the antibiotic but since it changed the antibiotic cannot destroy the bacteria. The third way bacteria can become resistant is when the membrane of the bacteria changes so that the antibiotic cannot penetrate the cell (Dever and Dermody 1991). When we use antibiotics it kills off the bacteria that do not have these mutations which leaves the ones that do. Those bacteria will reproduce quickly leaving more resistant bacteria. That trait is passed on until that trait is more common. This means the population has evolved.
Humans often encounter antibiotics for medical purposes, purchase and consume meat products from animals pumped with antibiotics, drinking contaminated water, and in products we use like hand soaps and toothpaste.
To begin to understand how antibiotic-resistant bacteria our found in our water sources, we need to look at how much we use antibiotics. Humans often encounter antibiotics for medical purposes, purchase and consume meat products from animals pumped with antibiotics, drinking contaminated water, and in products we use like hand soaps and toothpaste. The main use of antibiotics is to cure diseases caused by bacteria. In 2010 there was 22 units/pills of antibiotics per person prescribed in the United States (Ventola 2015). However, not all of these antibiotics are needed; in fact, as many as 30 to 50% of cases are incorrectly prescribed antibiotics (Ventola 2015). Medical practices have misused and over prescribed antibiotics but recently it has been controlled to keep the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria down (Meek 2015). Medical pursuits to control antibiotics have been somewhat successful but there are still multiple other areas in which we use antibiotics unchecked. Pharmaceutical production facilities contribute significantly to the number of antibiotics put out to the environment can trickle into water sources (Meek 2015). Business regulations have only just started to take effect in certain states.
Domestic products we use in everyday life can also kill bacteria. The antibiotic triclosan is in many soaps and shampoos (Meek 2015). There has been a cut down of triclosan in the state of Minnesota. On January 1st, 2017 triclosan was banned in Minnesota. However, these common antibiotics get washed down the drain into our water supply. For many of these reasons, manufacturers starting to take out triclosan in their products (Steckelberg 2017). When we use triclosan products it can affect the bacteria on in body. We frequently transfer this bacteria through contact. This transfer can cause other people to get an disease that is resistant to triclosan. When humans have antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their system it can also transfer through feces and urine. This moves the bacteria into wastewater.
Wastewater treatment plants, in general, have several issues when it comes to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Wastewater plants filtrate the water but the plants will only catch a small amount of the bacteria while the rest is let through. Turolla (2018) looked at urban sewage to see how much penicillin-resistant bacteria survived through the filtration process at a treatment plant. The filtration took out only a small percentage of the penicillin-resistant bacteria but most of it got through the filtration. In another study, Su and Liu(2018) looked at 27 different resistant genes in 3 different rivers and again found that wastewater plants decrease the amount, but ultimately bacteria still enter waterways. The wastewater treatment plants are a big issue when it comes to transporting antibiotic-resistant bacteria to humans because these plants try to make water usable again. If even a small amount of bacteria survive it can reach humans and animals in the process. For example, Bergeron (2015) studied raw source water and drinking water and found resistant bacteria in both. Wastewater plants can also be a breeding ground for resistant genes (Lood 2017). These plants used to pump antibiotics into wastewater to kill of bacteria but instead created an environment where the resistant bacteria could become more prevalent. Scientists have been trying to figure out how to change treatment. A couple of solutions have been suggested for adding bacteriophages to take out certain bacteria or an addition of predatory bacteria (Lood 2017). Drinking water that is clear of dangerous bacteria is important for everyone to have.Not only for consumption, but recreational use is becoming risky. In England, some waters have antibiotic resistant E coli if people ingest the water it can make them sick (Leonard 2015). People should not be afraid of swimming or even of their own drinking water. More research needs to be put into this area to create a solution. Most people do not know enough about the situation to be concerned. Efforts need to be made to create safe drinking water available for everyone.
Farming practices are another area that causes antibiotic-resistant bacteria to be in water sources. Farms have overused antibiotics in animal feed to create larger and healthier animals but, a study found that antibiotics are given to cows that are not even affected by disease (Landers 2012). Larger animals mean more meat to sell and boosts the economy. Surprisingly more antibiotics are used for animals than humans in the United States (Meek 2015). This overuse again creates antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the animals as well as having antibiotics in there system (Landers 2012). Eventually, the livestock will be butchered and brought to consumers. This food is eaten by people transferring the antibiotics to humans. Antibiotics can be transferred from cows to humans by milk as well. The industry has historically been blind to the consequences of their widespread antibiotic use. Additionally, using antibiotics in animal feed can also cause issues when it rains, creating soil runoff. In addition the antibiotics in the feces from these animals transfer resistant bacteria to the soil. Once rain falls, the soil runs off into water sources like rivers and lakes. This contaminates the water source moving antibiotic-resistant bacteria to new areas and organisms. Carter (2018) It showed that 88% of the songbirds had at least one type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their system. Thus farm practices can spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria to humans and organisms. While more regulations are appearing due to the research it is still an issue that needs to be solved.
Research has shown that antibiotic-resistant bacteria has appeared in our water sources because of our human consumption, wastewater treatment plants, and farming practices. There are multiple issues that need to be addressed like how can we use fewer antibiotics, what ways can we filtrate our wastewater to get rid of bacteria, and how can we change our farming practices to not use antibiotics. All of these issues are not easy to solve but people need to know that there is a problem with resistant bacteria. Part of solving the issue is education about bacteria and biology. This can lead to people pushing more regulations on antibiotic use. I think that it is dangerous to have antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our water sources as people need water to survive they could be finding themselves contracting a antibiotic-resistant disease. Our own usage has caused this “Superbug” to appear in water and food. Antibiotics should not be in everyday items that are necessary for survival. Antibiotics were a great discovery in the past but it is causing problems for the future health. Hopefully one day we can find a solution to replace antibiotics and to get rid of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our water sources.
Works cited:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Craig Bashore is a freshman from Rochester MN. He studies environmental science at Bethel University and hopes to be helping the environment in his future occupation. He enjoys golfing, going on hikes, and studying biology.
