We told you about it in 2018, a team of researchers reported in the journal Nature that the bacterium Escherichia coli had become resistant to several antibiotics after being exposed to fluoxetine (ie Prozac). A new study confirms this information and shows how antidepressants, ie non-antibiotic drugs, can also contribute to resistance to antibiotic treatments.
Particularly problematic, antibiotic resistance is a significant threat to public health. Indeed, in 2019, 1.2 million people died from the direct consequences of this problem, and this number is expected to increase.
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Resistant Escherichia coli after a few days of exposure
Comparing, in vitrothe effect of five common antidepressants on the Escherichia coli bacteriathe scientists noticed that it mutates, making it more resistant to subsequent antibiotic treatment. « Even after a few days of exposure, the bacteria develop drug resistance, not just against one, but against several antibiotics. It’s both interesting and scary “, explains one of the main authors of the study.
Researchers must now assess whether this phenomenon reproduces in real conditions, livebut the information is concerning because antidepressants remain among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world.
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