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Researchers had previously suspected that relatively high levels of antibiotics in hospital wastewater, which comes from patients’ urine and feces, could cause resistant bacteria to thrive. But it has not been known for sure.
Now Joakim Larsson and his research group at the University of Gothenburg have conducted a study, published in the journal Environment International, which shows that this is the case.
The researchers took the wastewater from the Sahlgrenska University Hospital and filtered out all the bacteria, but kept the drugs and other chemicals. Then the lab examined how the filtered water affected various bacteria.
– Sewage killed sensitive bacteria, but resistant bacteria could continue to grow. A really clear result, says Joakim Larsson, professor of environmental pharmacology.
This means that there is a so-called selection pressure for resistance in hospital wastewater. This “pressure” benefits not only the presence of resistant bacteria that already exist in society, but also the development of new forms of resistant bacteria, which in turn can be even more difficult to treat.
Antibiotic resistance noted As a global threat to the United Nations Environment Program, UNEP and also in industry, efforts are now being made to combat emissions.
Some countries also have smaller treatment plants adjacent to hospitals.
– In Sweden and other countries, it is more common to dump hospital wastewater into municipal treatment plant and treat it as ordinary domestic wastewater.
You want to quit drugs entering waterways, the Swedish system works as it should, according to Joakim Larsson. The largest proportion of drugs in wastewater comes from homes, not hospitals.
But to stop resistant bacteria, cleaning in hospitals is a possible solution. Although large treatment plants kill most bacteria, some always pass. If new forms of resistant bacteria reach waterways, humans can ingest them and then spread them further.
– You must first find out which antibiotics or antibacterial substances cause it. It is important to know how to best purify your wastewater. You need to map this, says Joakim Larsson.
Then you have to find a solution.
– It is not an easy equation to do and it is not free. So you have to look closely.
