Once antibiotics start being used, resistant microbes appear. This marks the start of the journey to the end of the antibiotic’s usefulness. This resistance cannot be prevented and scientists have tried to research on its causes. The resistance occurs in both harmful and harmless bacteria. Most bacteria are found in the environment where they interact with other bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. The exposure, which has occurred over millennia, has caused bacteria to develop complex ways of responding.
Most research in antibiotic resistance has been focused on harmful bacteria. However, it can benefit from looking at non-disease causing bacteria in the environment. Scientists have carried out studies on environmental antibiotic resistance.
One study on antibiotic resistance showed that bacteria organism had multi-drug resistance phenotypes within themselves (Wright 589). Another study showed that anti-biotic resistance genes in plants increased the resistance level of soil microbes. However, the studies are limited since they only look at a small fraction of the microbial diversity. Quantitative studies on changes in antibiotic resistance in soil microbes show that the levels of resistance genes rise over time. Research in aquatic environments shows that resistance by pathogens in water increases with exposure to contaminants.
Plants and animals also contain microbes. Animals that have a lot of exposure to humans have the highest levels of antibiotic resistant microbes. Agricultural practices have also contributed to the increase in antibiotic resistance by microbes (Wright 592).
From this evidence, it can be concluded that there are many resistant organisms in the environment. This resistance existed even before humans started to use antibiotics. The increase in resistance genes occurs more rapidly with antibiotic use.
Works Cited
Wright, Gerard. “Antibiotic resistance in the environment: a link to the clinic?” Current Opinion in Microbiology 13.1(2010): 589–594.