Traveling shapes our lives...but also our microbiota and antibiotic resistance
An American tourist has a 61% chance of returning from abroad with unbalanced microbiota, and a 38% chance of bringing back at least one antibiotic resistance. Something to think about before packing your bags!
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About this article
Travel is a great way to make memories...including some you'd rather not have! While it's no surprise that a third of the 267 Americans studied who traveled abroad reported diarrhea, it's more worrying that 61% of travelers left some of their protective gut microbial diversity behind. Worse still, many returned with intestinal stowaways (Escherichia and other enterobacteria such as Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Salmonella) and sacrificed their intestinal population of Alistipes on the altar of exoticism.
Bacteria and antibiotic resistance
Some would say it's just a few bacteria! Yes, but many of which are resistant to antibiotics. And therein lies the problem. On their return from abroad, 38% of the 267 travelers had acquired at least one of the 3 (sidenote: Antimicrobials Antimicrobials — such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics — are drugs used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance ) -resistant organisms targeted by this study, and above all, 98% of them had acquired vicious enterobacteria (generally E. coli), capable of resisting the effects of many antibiotics and currently representing enemy No. 1 in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
In all, the group of 267 American travelers in this study returned from their 2-week peregrinations abroad with 72 new resistance genes, including 15 of public health concern!
Travel advice
If we don’t want to abandon all thought of travel, what can we do to reduce the risk of importing antibiotic resistance?
Known to be effective in the prevention of traveler's diarrhea 2,3, probiotics would not have any added value here to prevent bringing home these multi-resistant germs, according to the authors. The study suggests that the composition of one’s microbiota prior to departure has no impact on the acquisition of these resistant bacteria. There's no need to deprive yourself of street food once you're there—it doesn't change anything.
On the other hand, eating raw vegetables seems very risky! Don't let your guard down when visiting family or friends abroad; eat only well-cooked vegetables, peel your fruit and, as at home, wash your hands regularly!
And be particularly vigilant when traveling to South Asia, a destination that goes hand in hand with an increased risk of returning with an intestinal stowaway!
World AMR Awareness Week
World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is celebrated every year from November 18 to 24. In 2023, the theme chosen was “Preventing antimicrobial resistance together,” as in 2022. In fact, this resistance represents a threat not only to human beings, but also to animals, plants and the environment.
The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance and promote best practices, based on the "One Health" concept, among all stakeholders (the general public, doctors, veterinarians, breeders and farmers, decision-makers, etc.) in order to reduce the emergence and spread of resistant infections.
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