Bacteria that are resistant to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic, have for the first time been detected in Los Angeles County wastewater, suggesting that the germs are circulating more widely in the community than previously thought.
Researchers theorize that a widely used degreasing chemical -- found in the soil near some residential areas -- may be linked to Parkinson’s disease.in 2018, said Dawn Terashita, associate director of acute communicable disease control at the county Department of Public Health, which monitors antibiotic-resistant infections.
“One reason why antimicrobial resistance is considered the ‘silent pandemic’ is that the spread of resistance can go undetected until it spreads into pathogenic bacteria and infections are reported to the county public health department,” he said. “Any time you have a problem with the supply of protective equipment, you can have issues where you have more transmission,” she said.
“One of the many reasons why there are antibiotic resistant bacteria that emerge is because we find many chemical pollutants, including antibiotic residues, in the environment at low concentrations,” including in bodies of water where wastewater is discharged after treatment, she said. “Constant exposure of bacteria to antibiotics is the ideal environment for creating superbugs.”
A study conducted at the Carson facility showed its tertiary treatment plants remove 99.9999% of bacteria using chlorine, a disinfectant with a long, proven track record of success, said Bryan Langpap, spokesman for Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. At the Hyperion plant, the normal treatment process, which includes primary and secondary stages, removes 90% to 99.99% of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes even without any additional treatment, said Mas Dojiri, chief scientist at Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment. The plant discharges its effluent five miles out into the ocean, and over 40 years of water-quality monitoring has indicated that it does not encroach into shoreline recreational waters, he said.
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