Antimicrobial Resistance Genes Are Spread By Tourists

Travelers abroad may pick up bacteria and other vectors containing genes conferring antimicrobial resistance which remain in the gut when returning to their home country, according to a study published in Genome Medicine.

 A team of researchers at Washington University, and Maastricht University, in the Netherlands investigated the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in the human gut microbiome by analyzing the fecal samples of 190 Dutch travelers before and after travel to destinations in Northern Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Asia and Southeastern Asia. 

The participants and their samples were taken from a subset of data from the larger COMBAT study also investigating AMR. The authors found an increase in the amount and diversity of AMR genes in fecal samples from travelers who had returned from abroad, including high-risk AMR genes that are resistant to common and last resort antibiotics (antibiotics which are used when other antibiotics do not work).

Lead author Alaric D'Souza concluded, "These findings provide strong support that international travel risks spreading antimicrobial resistance globally. Upon returning, travelers’ microbiomes had acquired a significant amount of AMR genes. Many of these genes were high-risk AMR genes, since they confer resistance to commonly used antibiotics."