Common Weed Killers Found To Fuel Antibiotic Resistance Spread

(Newswire.net — August 18, 2022) Orlando, FL — Antibiotic resistance continues to be one of the major global health threats today. It is worth noting that scientists are increasingly carrying out studies to look into the factors that contribute to its high prevalence. 

A new study carried out by researchers from the University of York has shown that the use of weed killers has the ability to increase the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the soil. 

It is worth noting that herbicides are considered to be one of the most widely used chemicals in agriculture today. While these compounds are used in getting rid of weeds, they can be damaging to soil microbes like fungi and bacteria. 

Such damage may potentially change the ecological properties of microbial communities.

In this research, investigators from China and the UK looked into the effect of three widely used herbicides namely glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba on soil bacterial communities.

Through the use of soil microcosms, they found that herbicides fuelled the increase in the relative abundance of bacterial species carrying antibiotic resistance genes. This was due to the fact that mutations enhanced growth in the presence of herbicides and also increased bacterial tolerance to antibiotics. 

Herbicide exposure also resulted in a more frequent movement of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria.

“Our results suggest that the use of herbicides could indirectly drive antibiotic resistance evolution in agricultural soil microbiomes, which are repeatedly exposed to herbicides during weed control,” Dr. Ville Friman from the Department of Biology said. 

“While antibiotic resistance genes are not harmful per se, they will reduce the efficiency of antibiotics during clinical treatments. Keeping the frequency of resistance genes low will hence prolong the long-efficiency of antibiotics. As resistance genes can easily move between environments, agricultural fields could be a globally important source for resistance genes.”

This is just one of the studies that looked into the potential contributing factors to the skyrocketing rates of antibiotic resistance.

Experts have been carrying out studies to look into the techniques helpful in lessening the spread. It is worth noting that one of the major contributors to this global health issue is the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which are often used as a treatment for UTIs.

In lessening or eliminating the need to use antibiotics, it may be helpful to turn to a UTI-fighting ingredient called D-mannose. 

This therapeutic, harmless sugar is widely obtained today through the use of superior-strength supplements like Divine Bounty D-mannose. Aside from having D-mannose, this amazing formula also comes with additional ingredients namely cranberry and dandelion extracts (www.amazon.com/D-Mannose-600mg-Cranberry-Dandelion-Extract/dp/B01LX5KGF0).