Common weed killers favour antibiotic resistant bacteria, new study shows

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/uoy-cwk021221.php

 

News Release 16-Feb-2021
University of York

 

The use of weed killers can increase the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in soil, a new study from the University of York shows.

Herbicides are one of the most widely used chemicals in agriculture and while these compounds are used to target weeds, they can cause damage to soil microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, potentially changing the ecological properties of microbial communities.


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Using soil microcosms, researchers discovered that herbicides increased the relative abundance of bacterial species that carried antibiotic resistance genes. This was because mutations that improved growth in the presence of herbicides also increased bacterial tolerance to antibiotics. Herbicide exposure also led to more frequent movement of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria.

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