Antibiotic-resistance in Tanzania is an environmental problem

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are prevalent in people, wildlife and the water in northeastern Tanzania, but it’s not antibiotic use alone driving resistance. Instead, researchers at Washington State University found transmission of bacteria in the environment is the most important factor.

These conclusions come from a four-year study led by researchers from WSU’s Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health. The results of the study were just published in Nature Communications.

“We were surprised to find these microbes everywhere,” said Douglas Call, a Regents professor and associate director for research at the Allen School, “but it appears that within impoverished communities, there are many opportunities for bacteria to spread between animals and people via contact with waste or through consumption of contaminated food and water.”

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, began in March 2012 and involved visiting 425 households from 13 villages throughout northeastern Tanzania.