Two major threats to human health – climate change and the spread of antibiotic resistance – can intersect. For instance, the climate crisis is triggering more frequent heavy rainfall in several countries. Such conditions, in turn, substantially encourage bacterial growth.
Pamela Yeh, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, said researchers have some understanding of how climate change is going to exacerbate the spread of drug-resistant infections, and are now examining the mechanisms and exploring how large the effect could be.
How is climate change exacerbating problem of antibiotic resistance?
Drug-resistant bacteria are on the rise. In 2020, human blood infections caused by antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoea, Salmonella and Escherichia coli bacteria became at least 15% more common than in 2017, according to a report published in 2022.
The key problem is antibiotics are often misused or overused to fight infections. The disease-causing microorganisms can develop resistance DNA mutations. Strains that become resistant can also transfer drug-resistant genes to others.
If a person is given incorrect antibiotics to treat infections or if the right drugs are taken at insufficient doses to kill the bacteria, then the microorganisms have more time to multiply and to evolve or spread antibiotic resistance.
But climate change-induced conditions that help bacteria thrive also play a role. Disasters can exacerbate the issue because they often lead to unsanitary conditions. As injuries start to rise, more people use antibiotics, subsequently pushing up the likelyhood of resistance developing.
Rising global temperatures also playing a role
Moreover, beyond the physical damage caused by the extreme events, researchers are also exploring how rising temperatures due to the climate crisis might influence antibiotic resistance. There have been several studies on the link, majorly producing concerning findings.
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One way that gradual increases in average air temperature could be driving up antibiotic resistance is by elevating the growth rate of microorganisms, speeding up their evolution. There is also evidence that bacteria can share genes more easily in hotter conditions.
