Hudson River Study: Widespread Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Linked to Untreated Sewage

August 26, 2013- "The risk of catching some nasty germ in the Hudson River just started looking nastier" reports ScienceDaily, citing new research published in the Journal of Water and Health that documented antibiotic-resistant strains of disease-causing microbes in specific spots within the Hudson River Estuary (HRE).

In their abstract, the authors of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria In The Hudson River Estuary Linked To Wet Weather Sewage Contamination wrote, "This study is the first to document the widespread distribution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the HRE and to demonstrate clearly a link between the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and levels of sewage-associated bacteria in an estuary."

Microbiologist and study co-author Andrew Juhl of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory told ScienceDaily, "If you find antibiotic-resistant bacteria in an ecosystem, it's hard to know where they’re coming from. In the Hudson, we have a strong case to make that it's coming from untreated sewage."

Researchers frequented 10 locations within the estuary and found microbe resistance to ampicillin 84% of the time, tetracycline resistance 38% of the time, and that areas harboring the highest sewage-indicator bacteria generally also contained the highest concentrations of antibiotic-resistant ones.

The evolution of antibiotic-resistance in bacteria, including potentially pathogenic strains of the genera Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Proteus and Escherichia, has been linked to over-prescribed antibiotics to treat minor infections, and to agribusiness practices which, to promote growth and prevent infection, introduces low levels of antibiotics into livestock feed. In the U.S., 80% of all antibiotics are used in feeding chicken, cattle and pigs.

ScienceDaily reports that "100,000 people die each year from hospital-acquired infections, most of which are due to antibiotic-resistant pathogens, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Superbugs resistant to methicillin kill about 19,000 people each year, more than HIV/AIDS."

The study's lead author, Suzanne Young, said, "The Hudson has gotten so much better … If we came up with a sustainable solution, water quality could continue to improve."

While the current finding raises an alarm, some important steps are being taken. In what the article called a "landmark deal," New York City and the State of New York have agreed to replace parking lots and city streets with porous pavement and plant more vegetation to reduce runoff and untreated sewage overflow during heavy rains. Also, the Sewage Pollution Right to Know Law is now in effect, increasing public awareness of the problem.

The article ends with a quote from study co-author Gregory D. O'Mullan, "The results from this study are significant because they help us to understand the processes involved in the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria through the environment, but also because they provide added incentive to reduce sewage pollution into our waterways."

Read the full post here. The published research is available for purchase online here.

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