International Study Suggests Weedkiller Use Contributes to Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Selection

An international study published in Frontiers in Microbiology suggests that the common weedkiller glyphosate can contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. “Here we show that the most common species of multidrug-resistant bacteria from hospitals are not only resistant to multiple antibiotic classes, but also to high concentrations of the weedkiller glyphosate. These results suggest that weedkillers—which, unlike antibiotics, are widely applied in agricultural environments—may have the unintended side-effect of selecting for antimicrobial resistance among bacterial communities within the soil,” explained the study’s lead author. The scientists also point out that this means resistant bacteria that enter the environment in wastewater could go on to thrive in glyphosate-treated soils.