Photo caption: University of Canterbury's School of Biological Sciences Professor Jack Heinemann
A University of Canterbury-led project will map antimicrobial resistance across Aotearoa New Zealand to identify environmental hotspots.
Led by Professor Jack Heinemann from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury's School of Biological Sciences, the study is the first to attempt this for an entire country, offering a roadmap to eliminate environmental antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Using a One Health approach-which links human, animal, and environmental health-the research will build a 3D map of antimicrobial resistance across Aotearoa to pinpoint concentrated areas of resistance and find ways to reduce it or keep it from spreading.
Professor Heinemann describes antimicrobial resistance-when microorganisms develop the ability to withstand antibiotics-as an "existential threat" to humankind. While it is often viewed as a medical issue, he emphasises that it is also a major threat to food production and the environment.
"Antimicrobial resistance is a bigger environmental issue than just the medicinal use of antibiotics in hospitals or farms," he says.
"We spend a lot of our research capital looking for new antibiotics, hoping for a different outcome-yet we continue to misuse them in the same ways. We can't invent our way out of this problem."
Despite growing awareness of antibiotic overuse, resistance continues to outpace our ability to respond with new drugs, and they become ineffective even shortly after their introduction, Professor Heinemann says.
While stewardship-using antibiotics more carefully-is essential, Professor Heinemann says it's not enough on its own.
"Stewardship is an important step, but it won't solve the problem by itself. Antibiotics are widely relied upon in healthcare and agriculture, and restricting their use often limits access for those most in need, especially marginalised communities."
Professor Heinemann says antibiotic-resistant bacteria are now found in places far removed from human activity, including the ocean, far from the coast, in Antarctica, and even in the air. "These microorganisms are now present in water, air and land in numbers they weren't 100 years ago."
Professor Heinemann points to growing scientific evidence that industrial pollution-not just antibiotic overuse-is contributing to the spread of resistance.
"Our use of chemistry has changed dramatically. We invent and release new chemical compounds faster than our population grows, and many of them interact with bacteria in ways we don't fully understand. Some chemicals not designed to kill bacteria are still making them more resistant to antibiotics."
