An Australian-led international study has uncovered a surprising tool for tracking antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) superbugs: airplane toilet wastewater. Researchers analyzed samples from 44 international flights to Australia across nine countries, identifying nine high-priority pathogens and multiple antibiotic resistance genes linked to hospital-acquired infections.
The study, led by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and published in Microbiology Spectrum, detected a gene resistant to last-resort antibiotics in wastewater from 17 flights. Notably absent in Australia’s urban wastewater systems, this finding suggests international travel may introduce such threats.
Flights from Asia showed higher concentrations of resistance genes compared to those from Europe, with five pathogens appearing in all samples. Senior CSIRO researcher Warish Ahmed called aircraft wastewater a 'non-invasive, cost-effective surveillance tool' to monitor AMR risks, which could cause 39 million deaths annually by 2050 if unchecked.
The research team, including partners from China’s Xiamen University and U.S. institutions, confirmed genetic material remains stable in aircraft disinfectants for 24 hours. This method mirrors COVID-19 wastewater tracking, offering early warnings to curb superbug transmission across borders.
