SSS 2011-09-29

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They say all roads lead to Rome. Unfortunately that ain't all that roads lead to. A new study shows that roads can promote the spread of antibiotic¹-resistant² bacteria. The findings appear in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface³. 

 

If you've ever taken antibiotics⁴ to get rid of an infection, you know it's important to complete the course of treatment—to limit the possibility that a resistant strain will arise. But that's just you, personally. How can we contain the spread of drug-resistant superbugs throughout the population? One way is to restrict bacterial⁵ traffic. 

 

Scientists studied the emergence⁶ of antibiotic resistance in an isolated⁷ area of northern Ecuador. And they found that five years after a new road was constructed, the villages closest to that road saw a rise in resistance to ampicillin and sulphamethoxazole—nearly double that found in more remote regions. Seems the motorway⁸ makes it easier for resistant microbes to migrate from person to person, and to immigrate⁹ in from out-of-town. 

 

So to stay safe on the highway, remember: wear your seatbelt. And wash your hands.

 

Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Karen Hopkin.

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