The journal Emerging Infectious Diseases reports the worrying discovery that birds captured in the Arctic tundra are carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The Swedish researchers behind the finding were surprised that antibiotic resistance had spread into what were thought to be relatively pristine ecosystems.
Taking samples from 97 birds in northeastern Siberia, northern Alaska, and northern Greenland, the scientists cultivated bacterial samples in special laboratories onboard the icebreaker Oden and carried out further analysis at the microbiological laboratory at the Central Hospital in V�xjö, Sweden.
“We were extremely surprised,” says Björn Olsen, professor of infectious diseases at Uppsala University. “We took samples from birds living far out on the tundra and had no contact with people. This further confirms that resistance to antibiotics has become a global phenomenon and that virtually no region of the earth, with the possible exception of the Antarctic, is unaffected.”
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