Poor Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Low-income Countries May Help Fuel the Emergence of Deadly Pathogens

A study by ARAC researchers and collaborators suggests that Escherichia coli and other disease-causing microbes are passing easily between humans and animals in Cambodia, a country where clean water, sanitation and hygienic controls are lacking in many regions. The continuous exchange, along with unregulated antibiotic use, leads to the emergence and spread of drug-resistant E. coli. The study, “Plugging the leaks: antibiotic resistance at  human-animal interfaces in low-resource settings,” was published Sept. 19, 2023.