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A TEAM OF researchers at NUI Galway is asking swimmers and surfers to take part in a project to find out if they have picked up superbugs from the water.
Testing kits are sent out in the post, and take around 10 minutes to complete.
Dr Liam Burke, co-investigator on the project, told TheJournal.ie that the faeces sample provided will be used to collect the bacteria that live in their gut and test them for resistance to antibiotics.
The questionnaire sent out will ask about participants use of natural recreational waters and risk factors that may be associated with antibiotic resistant bacteria living in their gut (eg, exposure to animal waste, working in a healthcare facility).
Researchers are hoping to recruit 300 people to take part – one group of 150 sea swimmers, surfers and people who regularly use the sea, lakes or rivers for recreation, along with a second group of 150 people who rarely take to the water.
Anyone aged 18 or over who lives on the island of Ireland can take part; you can find out more, or sign up, at the PIER website.
Surfer Easkey Britton and Liffey Swim champ Paul O’Flynn are supporting the project by urging people to sign up to be tested.
About the study
The PIER study (Public Health Impact of Exposure to antibiotic Resistance in recreational waters) is being launched by the Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Ecology Research Group at the University, and is funded by the EPA.
A key part of the project will be understanding how superbugs get into human populations, particularly to help scientists learn how to control the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
It is hoped that the findings of this study will contribute to improving policy regarding
environmental monitoring of antibiotic resistance and the release of waste containing
superbugs to recreational waters.
A similar study in England and Wales, the Beach Bum Survey, found 6.3% of surfers were colonised with antibiotic resistant bacteria vs 1.5% of non-surfers.
When superbugs cause problems
Professor Dearbháile Morris, Principal Investigator on the PIER project said that in healthy people, “antibiotic resistant bacteria behave very similarly to other common bugs, they live harmlessly on the skin, in the nose or in the bowel”.
“This is called colonisation. As long as a bug stays on the skin or in the bowel, it usually does not cause a problem,” she said.
However, once a superbug gets into a wound, into the bladder or into the blood, it can cause an infection that can be difficult to treat.
“This mostly happens in sick or vulnerable people with weaker immune systems, such as those in intensive care, the very old or the very young, and special antibiotics are then required for treatment, as ordinary antibiotics do not work.”
Professor Morris continues: “Unfortunately, superbugs can transfer easily from healthy
colonised people to vulnerable people. The more people who are colonised with antibiotic
resistant bugs, the higher the risk that these bugs will spread to vulnerable people and
cause serious infection.”
Dr Liam Burke added: “Some superbugs are now very common in the environment due to increased antibiotic use in humans and animals and the release of sewage, manure and effluent containing antibiotics and antibiotic resistant superbugs, which can end up in our lakes, rivers and seas.
Although bathing waters are routinely tested for some bacteria, they are not tested for antibiotic resistant bacteria, so we don’t really know to what extent they are present.
“PIER will look into whether people who regularly use Irish waters for recreation are at risk of becoming colonised with superbugs.”
For more information, or to register to take part, click here.
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The promises the Labour made .before the election Will be there downfall . I will never vote Labour again . As for Gilmore Labour Party need a leadership change .the Irish way .
Action are words not near fancy vote gaining points . I would like to see Quinn to take control before its to late.
It’s too late for Labour, too many of their senior Politicians stood by while their Party allowed the low income & poor to be continually pummelled by Govt policies!
They are way beyond saving, with the exception of a complete rollback of Govt cuts & increase to original levels of Child benefit (ain’t going to happen) they are screwed, to simply pretend they are going to stop cuts in these areas in the upcoming budget is insulting & lets face it we know their game & it isn’t fooling us!!
Too late for Labour already but Quinn is definitely not the answer, he’s too closely associated with the champagne socialists who sold us out, he’s got questions to answer over his nephew and then there is the signing of the promise to students before the last election, a promise which like so many others was forgotten when they signed up to FG’s programme for government, one which neither party had a mandate to introduce. The only hope is a new Labour arising out of disaffected ordinary members without any of the DL traitors who are only out for themselves. If even one of the current Labour ministers is in it then it will be doomed.
Here in Drogheda The Labour Party office is ran from The SIPTU office Connolly Hall, it makes me sick to the stomach that they inforce their austerity on the poor with the support of SIPTU and other unions. Gilmore your a waste of space and nothing u can do will save your sorry Ass, as for the rest of The Labour Party tick tock!!
What happens when a politician takes viagra.. they grow taller! Bunch of prix!
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