Antibiotic resistance rise may be linked to rising air pollution, study shows

Recent analysis published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, indicates that increased air pollution is potentially linked with a higher risk of antibiotic resistance across global regions. It also indicates that the relationship between the two has strengthened over time, with increases in air pollution levels coinciding with larger increases in antibiotic resistance in more recent years.

The authors created an extensive dataset to explore whether PM2.5 is a key factor driving global antibiotic resistance, using data for 116 countries from 2000 to 2018. The findings indicate antibiotic resistance increases with PM2.5, with every 1% rise in air pollution linked with increases in antibiotic resistance of between 0.5 and 1.9%, depending on the pathogen.

The highest levels of antibiotic resistance are found in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, while levels in Europe and North America are low. Due to their large populations, China and India are thought to be the countries where changes in PM2.5 have the greatest impact on premature death toll from antibiotic resistance. The analysis suggests that PM2.5 is one of the leading factors driving antibiotic resistance, accounting for 11% of changes in average resistance levels around the world.

The authors’ modelling of possible future scenarios indicates that if there were no changes to current policies on air pollution, by 2050, levels of antibiotic resistance worldwide could increase by 17%.

Reference: Association between particulate matter (PM)2·5 air pollution and clinical antibiotic resistance: a global analysis, The Lancet Planetary Health, DOI 10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00135-3/