Some babies in Nigeria are born with bacteria resistant to antibiotics – Gavi

A recent study by Gavi has found that some newborn babies in Nigeria are born with bacteria resistant to antibiotics, specifically colistin-resistant bacteria. Gavi, a vaccine alliance, shared this finding on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, August 11. 

Colistin is one of the last-resort antibiotics used to treat serious infections like pneumonia. The study, which took place from 2015 to 2017, involved samples from 4,907 newborn babies and their mothers in hospitals in Kano and Abuja.

The results showed that 1% of the samples contained genes that make the bacteria resistant to colistin. Although this percentage might seem small, it’s concerning that any newborns have colistin-resistant bacteria so early in life.

Gavi pointed out that colistin is rarely used in Nigerian hospitals, suggesting that the resistance could be linked to its use in agriculture. Globally, antibiotics are used in large amounts in farming to boost crop growth and treat livestock, which can contribute to resistance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted antimicrobial resistance as a major global health threat. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both human medicine and agriculture have intensified this issue, with sub-Saharan Africa facing significant challenges.

Nigeria has one of the highest rates of deaths related to antimicrobial resistance, including sepsis, which is a severe reaction to infection and relies heavily on antibiotics for treatment.

The study raises concerns about the long-term impact of antibiotic resistance on newborns. If colistin-resistant bacteria persist in mothers or babies, it could increase their risk of future drug-resistant infections.

A major factor contributing to resistance is the global use of antibiotics in agriculture. In 2016, colistin-resistant genes were found in E. coli bacteria from a pig farm in China, leading to a ban on colistin in agriculture there. However, European countries still export livestock feeds containing colistin to countries like Nigeria, continuing the cycle of resistance.

Gavi is calling for urgent action to ban the indiscriminate use of colistin in agriculture while finding alternative solutions to maintain food production and support farmers. They also recommend investing in hospital infection control, improving water and sanitation on farms, and using antibiotics responsibly in agriculture to help address this crisis.