Earlier this year researchers from the University of Exeter published a landmark study seeking to better understand antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They found that because surfers swallow ten times more seawater than an average beachgoer, they are three times more likely to harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria or “superbugs.”
“We looked for a particular type of E. coli (E. coli ST131) that is highly virulent and resistant and is spreading worldwide,” lead researcher Dr. Anne Leonard told IFLScience. “It typically causes extra-intestinal (i.e. not gastrointestinal) infections such as urinary tract infections.”
In an effort to further explain their findings, Dr. Anne Leonard and Dr. William Gaze from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at Exeter Medical School took to Reddit to hold an “Ask Me Anything,” which led to some interesting questions. Here are the ones we felt were most relevant to surfers:
u/armitage_shank: Do you think surfers should change their behavior in any way to mitigate the effect that you’ve shown? For instance, after a particularly heavy rainfall is the water likely to be worse with all the run-off, and should surfers avoid going in?
European Center for Environmental Health (ECEH): Thanks! We think that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are more common in seawater after heavy rainfall, as you rightly point out due to run-off, as well as untreated sewage being released from storm outfalls. Experts suggest that surfers and other water users avoid going in the sea about 2 days after heavy rainfall to reduce their exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as well as to other microorganisms carried in sewage that might make them unwell. Water users in England can look up water quality at their favorite beaches to see whether levels of bacteria are high, or if sewage pollution is likely to be a problem – this information is publically available via the Environment Agency bathing water quality website for over 400 beaches. The Safer Seas Service also provides live alerts on sewage spills for some beaches. Anne
u/yamahahahahaha: Hi folks, is there a risk of this sort of exposure in other bodies of water – eg freshwater lakes and rivers?
ECEH: Hi, we know that rivers are an important way by which microorganisms (including antibiotic-resistant bacteria) are transported from land to coastal waters. The type and abundance of resistant bacteria in the water will probably differ according to the sources of pollution upstream… In addition, it depends where you live. For example in Switzerland, which has no coastline, some treated wastewater is discharged to freshwater lakes which increases the health risks due to less dilution relative to discharge to the sea. For this reason, the Swiss water industry has already implemented advanced treatment technologies in some instances.
u/Studentfrph_cz: 1. What part or system of the body is usually affected when antibiotic-resistance occur? What exactly happens to the person when there’s an antibiotic resistance?
2. Is this kind of bacteria present everywhere? What reason/s made this research focus on coastal waters? And why not on other parts of the environment?
ECEH: 1. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause problems in any part of the body. They can affect the site of the original infection, and have the potential to spread if resistant bacteria get into the bloodstream. There are many factors at play that might affect how the infection presents and progresses (e.g. age, comorbidities, etc.), but the issue with infections caused by resistant bacteria is that they take longer to treat, are more expensive to cure, and can cause long-term damage (and even death) during their course.
2. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been found in many different environments (including in the home, hospitals, food, etc.), and it is really important that we study the various ways people might acquire resistant bacteria so that certain high-risk pathways can be identified for intervention. The reason we chose to focus on coastal waters for our recently published paper (the Beach Bum Survey) is that seawater is frequently contaminated by fecal waste from humans and animals, and fecal waste carries bacteria, including clinically important antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Also, millions of people visit the sea, go in the water and enjoy activities which involve high levels of exposure to seawater and the resistant bacteria in it.
Will Gaze leads a research group which works on understanding the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in various natural environments: not just coastal waters.
