A multinational research team, including Professor David W Graham from our top-rated Biosciences Department, have helped uncover a worrying new effect of climate change - the rise of antibiotic resistance in soil bacteria.
The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, has shown that as global temperatures rise, bacteria in soil are becoming more likely to carry genes that make them resistant to antibiotics.
This discovery is especially important because soil is a major reservoir of bacteria, many of which can transfer resistance genes to harmful bugs that infect humans and animals.
The study found that climate warming is making soil bacteria more adaptable, more active, and better equipped to survive medicines that are meant to kill them.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a major threat to global health.
The study reveals that rising temperatures not only help these bacteria live longer in the environment but may also allow dangerous pathogens to evolve faster.
Most people don’t realise that many infections come from bacteria that start in the natural environment, said Professor Graham, one of the study’s research team and authors.
He further highlighted that as soil bacteria become more resistant, the chance of untreatable infections rises.
The findings highlight the need for a ‘One Health’ approach – recognising that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are all connected.
The study shows that even small increases in temperature could lead to major rises in soil antibiotic resistance.
This is especially true in colder regions where warming allows harmful bacteria to survive longer.
The research also used machine learning to predict that soil ARG levels could rise by up to 23% by 2100 if high greenhouse gas emissions continue.
Professor Graham added this research confirms predictions made in past global reports that climate change isn’t just about weather – it’s also about how diseases may change and spread.
Our Department of Biosciences is ranked fifth in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2025. Visit our Biosciences webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
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