Climate change is exacerbating antibiotic resistance

This article is taken from the monthly magazine Sciences et Avenir n°952, dated June 2026.

Climate change could accelerate antibiotic resistance.

By analyzing data from 30 European countries over more than twenty years, researchers from the California Institute of Technology (USA) show that rising temperatures are associated with an increase in resistant bacteria.

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Gene exchange is facilitated between bacteria

Heat would particularly promote the exchange of resistance genes between bacteria, facilitating their spread; an additional factor in a global health crisis.

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