Antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread to wildlife

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Bactria in Wildlife

 

Japan's ecosystem could be at grave risk following a finding that at least 15 varieties of wildlife are carriers of anti-biotic-resistant bacteria. This means that huge numbers of birds and animals would not respond to conventional treatment if they fall sick. In a worst-case scenario, wildlife possibly could be wiped out if disease broke out and the problem was not kept in check. Experts also point to the need for continued surveillance over possible effects on humans. Through separate surveys, researchers said that at least 15 types of birds and animals--such as Japanese cranes in Hokkaido, Okinawa rails, Okinawa woodpeckers and mongooses--were found to carry bacteria that are immune to antibiotics.

 

Quite how the bacteria reached the natural environment is still a matter of speculation, but it is generally accepted that the use of anti-bacterial agents in agricultural chemicals and human and livestock excrement are to blame. The researchers noted that anti-bacterial drugs are used extensively to treat diseases in humans and domestic animals and in agricultural chemicals. In one survey, a group led by Hideto Fukushi, a professor of biology at Gifu University, collected droppings of wild animals and birds which were assumed not to have come into contact with anti-bacterial drugs.

 

Members found that Escherichia coli and Enterococcus bacteria in 285 samples from 15 kinds of wild animals and birds contained antibiotic-resistant bacteria at levels of between 20 and 25 percent. The survey was conducted in cooperation with the Environment Ministry's Yambaru Wildlife Center in Kunigami, Okinawa Prefecture, and other organizations. A group led by Yutaka Tamura, a professor of animal hygiene at Rakuno Gakuen University based in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, analyzed the droppings of 128 Amami rabbits on Amami-Oshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, in 2006 and again this year.

 

It found that 2 percent of the Escherichia coli bacteria was antibiotic-resistant. In droppings of 196 rats captured in primeval forests in Hokkaido, 7 percent of the bacteria was immune to treatment from antibiotics. The survey was conducted in cooperation with the University of Tokyo's Institute of Medical Science. Each year in Japan, about 500 tons of anti-bacterial drugs are used to treat infections in humans. About twice that figure is used in the treatment of domestic animals. In addition, 600 tons are used in agricultural chemicals.

 

Researchers cited human excrement as one of the likely factors in the spread of anti-biotic-resistant bacteria in the natural environment. Yasuyoshi Ike, a professor of bacteria infection control at Gunma University, said the ramifications for the natural environment could be huge. "If it's really true that anti-biotic-resistant bacteria have spread so widely, it's going to be a big problem," he said. "It does not pose an immediate threat to humans, but there is a possibility that new pathogenic bacteria that are immune to a wide range of anti-bacterial drugs will appear in wild animals. * IHT/Asahi: September 4,2007