Gene Discovered In Georgia Sewage Water Possible Global Threat

GEORGIA — University of Georgia researchers said they've discovered a gene that causes bacteria to be resistant to an important antibiotic.

According to UGA, its team of researchers at the university's Center for Food Safety recently collected sewage water from an urban setting in Georgia to test for the MCR-9 gene in naturally present bacteria.

The university said the team was surprised at how quickly they detected MCR. They found evidence of the gene in the first sample they took.

College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences assistant professor Issmat Kassem said that demonstrates that the gene is becoming established in the United States. The World Health Organization has declared the gene as one of the top 10 medical threats to global humanity.

“If we don’t tackle it right now, we are jeopardizing human and animal medicine as we know it and that can have huge repercussions on health and the economy,” Kassem said in a news release. “It’s a dangerous problem that requires attention from multiple sectors for us to be able to tackle it properly.”

UGA researchers said this particular gene causes bacteria to be resistant to one of the world’s most important antibiotics, colistin. Colistin is considered a “last resort” antibiotic because it can kill infections that other antibiotics cannot, UGA researchers said.

Colistin is currently banned in the U.S. for use in food animals and it was previously thought that this measure would help slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance to the antibiotics in the country.

However, UGA researchers said MCR can be spread through global travel and the import of foods from other countries.

"Results of the CFS study prove that the U.S. is no less susceptible to the threat than other nations around the world," the UGA news release said.

Kassem said many industries, including those in research, health care and government will need to work together toward a solution.

To learn more about the MCR genes and the University of Georgia's research, visit this link.