title: Bacterial stress response to environmental radiation relating to the Fukushima radiation discharge event, Japan: will environmental bacteria alter their antibiotic susceptibility profile?
abstract: Antibiotic resistance in clinical pathogens in humans may be traced back to resistance mechanisms in environmental bacteria and any factors, which are likely to alter (upregulate) resistance in environmental organisms, is of potential and eventual consequence to human pathogens. Furthermore, sublethal doses of gamma radiation to environmental organisms may cause sublethal stress and a selective pressure, which may lead to mutational events that alter the bacterium's susceptibility profile. A gamma (γ) radiation simulation experiment was performed to emulate the exposure of four environmental bacteria, including Listeria innocua, Bacillus subtilis, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to levels of radiation in and around Fukushima, Japan, equating to 1, 10 and 100 years equivalence exposure. Alteration to susceptibility to 14 antibiotics was measured as the primary endpoint. There was no significant alteration in the susceptibility of the Gram-positive organisms, whereas both Gram-negative organisms became slightly more susceptible to the antibiotics tested over time. These data indicate that such radiation exposure will not increase the antibiotic resistance profile of these organisms and hence not add to the global public health burden of increased antibiotic resistance in human bacterial pathogens.
authors: Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory, Department of Bacteriology, Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7AD, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors: Shigeyuki
authors: S
authors: Nakanishi
authors: John E
authors: JE
authors: Moore
authors: Motoo
authors: M
authors: Matsuda
authors: Colin E
authors: CE
authors: Goldsmith
authors: Wilson A
authors: WA
authors: Coulter
authors: Juluri R
authors: JR
authors: Rao
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004777:Environment; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D011634:Public Health; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents