Currently, the growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is one of the problems that most concern world health authorities: according to a recent report, during the first four or five days of hospitalization, infections associated with Gram-negative bacteria classified as multi-resistant they affect 20% of patients , a risk that rises to more than 35% when the ten days of admission are completed.
The "Beach Bugs" project will study the biology of these dangerous microorganisms with some very special volunteers: surfers. The reason for choosing this group is that, due to their hobby, they swallow a lot of coastal seawater (about 170 milliliters per surf session), where drug-resistant superbugs abound.
Led by Anne Leonard of the University of Exeter (England), the researchers will sample the rectums of some 300 volunteers, recruited by the Surfers Against Sewage Association. In this way, they will analyze how microbes that have developed immunity to antibiotics interact with the bacterial flora of the digestive system. The results of this curious investigation will be made public in 2016.
