“Antibiotics are not automatic” — most people remember this slogan, created to encourage more responsible use of antibiotics. Yet, the overconsumption of antibiotics and other medicines in both human and veterinary medicine has led to widespread pollution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A 2022 global study ⁽¹⁾ involving INRAE revealed the presence of pharmaceutical residues in all 258 monitored rivers, spanning around a hundred countries across five continents. The main sources of this pollution are wastewater treatment plant discharges, which collect residues excreted in human urine and feces, and the spreading of manure and slurry on agricultural land, which transfers drug residues to soils and waterways.

Beyond Ecological Risks…

This chemical contamination has significant impacts on ecosystem health. It contributes to biodiversity loss and disrupts the ecological functioning of soils and rivers. But beyond the environmental dimension, human and animal health are also at risk.

Microorganisms in the environment are adapting to this pollution, and their resistance to antibiotics continues to increase. As a result, our ecosystems have become reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including some potentially pathogenic species to which humans and animals are exposed. Consequently, many standard antibiotics are losing their effectiveness, and once-common infections — such as urinary tract infections — can now require intensive hospital care due to the lack of effective treatment options. Globally, it is estimated that around 5 million deaths per year are linked to infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. France is not spared: current estimates predict that over 230,000 people could die from antimicrobial resistance by 2050 ⁽²⁾.

The Objectives of the Pharm-ERA Project

The Pharm-ERA project seeks to:

• Measure the contamination of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by pharmaceutical residues;
• Predict and assess the ecological risks and effects associated with this contamination;
• Understand how it contributes to the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten human and animal health.

With ten PhD projects spanning diverse scientific disciplines — including environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, microbial ecology, molecular biology, and modeling — Pharm-ERA aims to develop innovative methods and solutions to improve monitoring, risk assessment, and prevention strategies related to pharmaceutical residues and antibiotic resistance in the environment.

The program also seeks to raise awareness among policymakers and the general public about these growing threats. Finally, by training ten young international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral PhD researchers, Pharm-ERA aims to provide the European Union with a new generation of high-level scientific experts. These experts will help design and implement future strategies to ensure the sustainability of ecosystems and to safeguard human and animal health and well-being.

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