By Osvaldo J. Salazar
Fig 1. Study sites in Durban and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa, where surface water is near informal settlements.
As new antibiotics are becoming more challenging and expensive to manufacture, the emergence of antibiotic resistance (ABR) continues to become a global public health emergency that places an immense financial burden on the healthcare industry. The article focuses more on the harmful, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) that have spread throughout surface water (rivers and streams) close to two cities – Durban and Pietermaritzburg, South Africa – in informal settlements. The two types of bacteria that the article discussed were Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus faecium. In this instance, the bacteria were carrying antibiotic-resistant genes (ARG) that make them non-susceptible to antibiotics, and they can cause serious illnesses, especially among those living in informal settlements. Researchers identified different strains of E. coli and E. fecium isolates that were susceptible and resistant, as well as related to other isolates in the waterways of both cities. This is important because the study highlights how these superbugs might threaten public health due to reservoirs of multi-resistant microorganisms that can infect humans and animals through tainted water and food from irrigated crops. However, the study also points to the potential for change. We can drastically lower the danger of ABRs in surface water and stop increasing antimicrobial infections by addressing poor waste management, sanitation, and access to proper facilities.
Original Article:
Mukwevho FN, Mbanga J, Bester LA, Ismail A, Essack SY, Abia ALK. 2025. Potential environmental transmission of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium harbouring multiple antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in surface waters close to informal settlements: A tale of two cities. Science of the Total Environment 976:179321.
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