In the United Kingdom, surfers and bodyboarders are three times more likely to have antibiotic resistant E. coli in their guts than non-surfers, new research from the University of Exeter revealed. Scientists compared fecal samples from 300 surfers and non-surfers to assess whether the surfers’ guts contained E. coli bacteria that were able to grow in the presence of cefotaxime, a commonly used and clinically important antibiotic. The study found that 9% of surfers were colonized by these resistant bacteria, compared to just 3% of non-surfers swabbed, which meant the bacteria would continue to grow even if treated with cefotaxime.
Researchers also found that surfers were four times as likely to harbor bacteria that contain mobile genes that make bacteria resistant to the antibiotic. This is significant because the genes can be passed between bacteria – potentially spreading the ability to resist antibiotic treatment between bacteria.