Australian-led research reveals that wastewater from international flights can detect antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) superbugs before they spread widely. Analyzing sewage from 44 flights arriving in Australia, scientists found high-priority pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes, especially on flights from Asia.
The study, led by CSIRO, highlights aircraft wastewater as a non-invasive, cost-effective early warning tool for tracking dangerous superbugs—similar to COVID-19 wastewater surveillance. Resistance genes to last-resort antibiotics were found on 17 flights but not in Australia’s city sewage, pointing to international travel as a key transmission route.
AMR threatens to cause over 39 million deaths by 2050, making such monitoring crucial.
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