Though it is widely known that air pollution has an effect on people’s health and makes them susceptible to many diseases, a research paper from the United Kingdom now claims that efficiency of antibiotics gets reduced due to air pollution.
Burning of fossil fuels as biomass and diesel produces Black Carbon which is a major contributor to air pollution. This reduces the efficiency of antibiotics. This study has been published in latest edition of medical journal Environmental Biology and dwells into ways air pollution affects bacteria which live in our throat, lungs and nose.
The research also highlights the ways in which pollutants affect the bacterial growth and influence the community formation. This research has been focused on Streptococcus pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus as these are major causes of any respiratory diseases and show high resistance to antibiotics.
The lead author of the paper Dr. Julie Morrissey pointed out that this research has increased their understanding of effect of air pollution on human health. The research further emphasizes the fact that bacteria which cause respiratory infection get affected by air pollution. This also increases the risk of infection and the effectiveness of any kind of treatment for these illnesses.
Significantly, the research found out that black carbon resulted in Streptococcus pneumonia spreading from nose to lower part of respiratory tract.
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Yes its true that air pollution affects antibiotics. As the bacteria which cause respiratory infections are affected by air pollution, possibly increasing the risk of infection and the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment of these illnesses.