Antimicrobials Used In Agriculture Create Highly Resistant Bacteria
Recent research has demonstrated that the excessive utilization of antimicrobials in the rearing of livestock may lead to the evolution of bacteria that are more resilient to the initial defense of the human immune system.
As the journalist has noted in the past, antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of specific subsets of microorganisms to endure exposure to one or more antibiotics. The pace at which bacteria are acquiring resistance to existing antibiotic therapies has accelerated significantly over the last twenty years.
Consequently, there is a pressing requirement to develop novel and potent antimicrobials. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are one such solution. So far, AMPs have been primarily utilized in agriculture, particularly in animal husbandry, to control infections and promote growth.
This has sparked concerns that the use of AMPs in agriculture could lead to the creation of bacteria that are cross-resistant, capable of overcoming the initial human immune response. This conclusion has been reached following studies conducted at the University of Oxford.
Bacillus polymyxa
To evaluate this hypothesis, the researchers employed colistin, an AMP that is structurally and functionally akin to the AMPs generated in animals, which is produced by a bacterium known as Bacillus polymyxa. Colistin is regarded as a “last resort” treatment option for infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to multiple drugs.
The extensive application of colistin in livestock farming has facilitated the proliferation of Escherichia coli bacteria that carry mobile colistin resistance (MCR) genes. The study discovered that bacteria with a developed resistance to colistin, which is a commonly used antimicrobial in agriculture, demonstrate resistance to essential components of the immune systems of both animals and humans.
In the study, the researchers conducted experiments where E. coli bacteria carrying the MCR-1 gene were exposed to antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) found in the innate immunity of chickens, pigs, and humans. The bacteria were also tested for their ability to be killed by human serum. Results revealed that the presence of the MCR-1 gene increased resistance to host AMPs by 62 percent compared to bacteria without the gene, and made the bacteria at least two times more resistant to being killed by human serum.
The findings suggest that livestock such as pigs and chickens, which have been treated with bacterial AMPs, may contain large amounts of cross-resistant bacteria. These bacteria have the potential to cause future epidemics, and the research has shown that the use of AMPs in agriculture can lead to cross-resistance against the human innate immune system.
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Read more: New Antibiotic Cures Superbugs Without Bacterial Resistance.
