{"id":41112,"date":"2026-03-10T00:01:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T04:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=41112"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:26:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T14:26:56","slug":"pesticides-and-antibiotic-resistance-genes-an-escalating-global-health-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2026\/03\/pesticides-and-antibiotic-resistance-genes-an-escalating-global-health-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Pesticide and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: An Escalating Global Health Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, March 10, 2026) An article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry<\/em><\/a> identifies pesticides, often neglected, as a core factor in the spread of antibiotic resistance<\/a> genes (ARGs) in agricultural environments. With antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance growing and infections becoming untreatable and deadly, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified the problem as a \u201csilent pandemic<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

The authors, from Yangzhou University in China, highlight the persistence of both pesticide residues and ARGs throughout the environment, with both being found in water, soil, air, animal manure, and the human gut. \u201cExisting studies have fully confirmed that pesticides are not isolated in the agricultural ecosystem but deeply participate in the proliferation and spread of ARGs through direct coselection, indirect induction of multiple resistances, and promotion of horizontal gene transfer<\/a>, forming a combined pollution risk that superimposes on the traditional sources,\u201d the authors note. The now well-known phenomenon of horizontal gene transfer<\/a>\u2014the movement of genes in bacteria from one bacterial species to another, which is facilitated by phages\u2014means that ARGs in those (possibly harmless) bacteria can move to bacteria that cause disease in plants or humans.<\/p>\n

As stated in previous Daily News<\/em><\/a> posts, pesticides by themselves are a grave threat to health and the environment. As is global warming. As is antibiotic resistance. Each of these problems has to be analyzed in its own silo to reveal the mechanisms driving their dynamics. But eventually, it must be acknowledged that they actually converge. ARGs, considered a class of pollutants, are found in certain types of bacteria and can spread through the environment and subsequently to humans and animals. The problem of antibiotic resistance, and the role of pesticides in promoting this resistance, is an urgent global phenomenon and public health crisis. To safeguard public health and ecological security, the spread of resistance genes in agricultural environments, as well as the practices that promote them, need to be eliminated.<\/p>\n

Mechanisms of Pesticide-ARG Interactions<\/strong><\/p>\n

ARGs are continuously released into the environment. \u201cHowever, current policies and research mainly focus on the issue of antibiotic abuse, while the widespread presence of pesticides in agricultural environments and their potential impacts on ARGs have not received sufficient attention for a long time,\u201d the researchers say. They continue: \u201cWhile paying attention to the contribution of livestock breeding and medical waste to antibiotic resistance genes in the environment, we must also recognize that the widespread use of pesticides, including herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, is a powerful but underestimated selection pressure and driving factor for the generation, enrichment, and spread of ARGs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The review highlights three core mechanisms in which pesticides promote the spread of ARGs:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Direct coselection pressure.<\/strong> Many agricultural pesticides, particularly the triazole fungicides tebuconazole<\/a>, propiconazole<\/a>, and difenoconazole<\/a>, share a similar mechanism of action with clinical antifungal agents like fluconazole and voriconazole. \u201cAll these compounds target the CYP51 enzyme in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway within fungal cell membranes,\u201d the authors note. \u201cWhen microorganisms alter this common target to survive, they can develop resistance to both classes of drugs simultaneously.\u201d Tebuconazole, for instance, induces cross-resistance, as shown in a study of Cryptococcus neoformans<\/em>. (See study here<\/a>.)\n<\/li>\n
  2. Indirect coselection and induction of multiple resistances.<\/strong> Microorganisms, when under pressure from pesticide exposure, activate defense mechanisms called \u201cefflux pumps\u201d to expel harmful substances. Since many efflux pumps do not have strong substrate specificity, they can also \u201cexpel structurally similar antibiotics from cells, leading to tolerance to multiple drugs.\u201d The researchers continue, describing: \u201cMore and more studies have shown that soil pesticide pollution is related to the formation of bacterial pesticide\u2013antibiotic cross-resistance. Bacteria in the environment have acquired pesticide\u2013antibiotic cross-resistance to resist the dual selection pressure of pesticides and antibiotics.\u201d This cross-resistance then increases the spread of bacterial multidrug resistance in the environment and further threatens human health.\n<\/li>\n
  3. Promotion of horizontal gene transfer.<\/strong> Concentrations of pesticide residues, even at sublethal levels, significantly accelerate the spread and diffusion of ARGs. “Pesticide stress can directly activate the stress response system of microorganisms and promote horizontal gene transfer,\u201d the authors note. As an example, research<\/a> finds that the fungicide mancozeb<\/a> induces \u201cbursts of bacterial reactive oxygen species,\u201d as well as additional changes to repair responses and cell membrane permeability.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The promoting effect of pesticides on ARGs is not limited to chemical-intensive agricultural areas, as \u201cits influence has significant cross-border transmission characteristics.\u201d In addition, global change factors (e.g., nitrogen deposition) intensify pesticide-induced stress and can further promote the mobilization of ARGs through soil, water, and air. \u201cThis kind of transmission network that transcends environmental media and geographical boundaries has transformed local agricultural pollution problems into regional or even global public health risks,\u201d the researchers state.<\/p>\n

    Previous Coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Beyond Pesticides has long documented the science identifying the role of pesticides in the spread of ARGs. Just over the past two years, multiple Daily News<\/em> articles have focused on the threat of ARGs to health and the environment, as scientific literature continues to connect chemical-intensive agricultural practices to this major crisis.<\/p>\n