Pesticides as agricultural drivers of antibiotic resistance

More than 2 million tons of pesticides are used in agriculture each year and select for pesticide resistance in bacteria present on crops, in soil and in manure, including in human pathogens such as Escherichia coli.

This should be cause for serious concern, because pesticide and antibiotic resistance can be caused by the same, or linked, genes.

This project will provide a first systematic view of pesticides as drivers of antibiotic resistance development and transmission and identify pesticides of high concern in this respect.

We will measure the pesticide and antibiotic co-resistance across a global collection of >2000 E. coli, and in E. coli cultures evolving under pesticide exposure.

We will pinpoint genetic variants accounting for the pesticide–antibiotics co-resistance and also disclose whether pesticides promote antibiotic resistance development indirectly by accelerating conjugation.

The knowledge gained will allow us to propose interventions in pesticide usage, which can be tested on model farm plots to evaluate their effects on antibiotic resistance development in the field.

At the end of the project, we expect to be able to inform regulatory bodies, industry and farmers associations on the role of pesticides in the accelerating antibiotic resistance crisis and to be a point of departure for addressing this role by recommendations on pesticide use. Ultimately, this will lead to more long term sustainable agriculture.