After conducting a detailed study of wastewater in medical institutions, scientists identified places where harmful bacteria invaded. What’s worse is that many of them are resistant to antibiotics.
While in hospital, local sinks, taps and toilets are the only source of hygiene with access to clean water. However, the security of such public resources raises concerns among some people. A recent study conducted in the UK and Ireland sheds light on this issue and reveals some surprising and sometimes alarming facts about hospital wastewater systems, writes Medical News.
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The research team focused on the University Hospital of Limerick’s wastewater system. They wanted to learn more about the sources of infection and the existence of antibiotic resistance genes, often called AMR genes, that make many diseases difficult to treat.
One of the biggest problems in healthcare today is the increasing number of infections that no longer respond to various medications. In fact, previous research has linked some hospital outbreaks to dirty hand-washing sinks. The team’s goal was to understand where these stubborn microbes were hiding and how best to combat them.
For this, samples were taken from various parts of the hospital’s sewage system, such as sinks, toilets and showers. They also analyzed bacteria obtained from patients with antibiotic-resistant infections.
The main finding was that the highest diversity of microbes was found in sinks, followed by toilets and showers. 256 types of microbes were found in the samples. Two main groups were dominant, called Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria.
These samples were found to contain genes that make the microbes resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Interestingly, these genes were not found in just one bacterial species. Different bacteria appear to share these resistance genes. This may be due to their similar evolution or simply because genes are passed on to each other.
Many resistance genes were also found in bacteria obtained from patients. When the researchers compared them to wastewater samples, they noticed many similarities. This means that the same resistance genes could move between a hospital’s wastewater and its patients.
How useful is such work for us – frequent patrons of hospitals and clinics? The large number of genes shared between hospital environments and patients suggests that these genes, especially those resistant to commonly used antibiotics, can be carried from one place to another. This situation poses a potential risk for patients who may be carriers of many diseases that are difficult to treat.
Hospitals often use large amounts of antimicrobials (substances that kill or stop the growth of germs) to prevent infections. The study suggests there may be a need to think more carefully about which drugs are used and in how much. This will reduce the likelihood of antibiotic resistance of bacteria, since excessive exposure to hygiene products will only accelerate their adaptation to them and reduce their benefits to zero.
Because traditional methods may have missed some of these details, this study used advanced genetic techniques to understand the problem. But at the time of the study, scientists still couldn’t figure out which came first: resistant microbes in the wastewater or resistant infections in patients. It seems that in the age-old debate about chicken, egg and their derivatives, there is a new topic for discussion and further study.
The study clearly revealed how antibiotic resistance can spread in hospital environments and how easily patients who do not come into contact with each other can transmit various harmful bacteria among themselves. It underscores the need to develop more effective infection prevention strategies in hospitals. After all, if we turn to hospitals for help, it is equally important to ensure their safety, to prevent possible increases in infections and, accordingly, epidemiological situations.
Previously Focus wrote about the bacteriological dangers lurking in inconspicuous shower heads. Researchers fear that this water, like water, contains many bacteria that are dangerous to humans.
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This material is for informational purposes only and does not contain advice that may affect your health. If you are having problems, contact an expert.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.