University of Queensland researchers have found a spread of commonly prescribed antidepressants can increase bacteria’s resistance to antibiotic medications.

A study led by Professor Jianhua Guo from UQ’s Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology focused on pharmaceuticals used to treat depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and other psychological conditions.

Greater than 42 million prescriptions were disbursed for antidepressant medications in Australia in 2021 and the study investigated bacterial exposure to 5 of probably the most common drugs – sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (Lexapro), bupropion (Welbutrin), duloxetine (Cymbalta) and agomelatine (Valdoxan).

While the overuse of antibiotics is acknowledged as the key driver of bacterial resistance, we wanted to analyze if other common medications were contributing to the issue.

Sertraline, duloxetine and fluoxetine had the strongest impact on bacterial resistance to antibiotics among the many drugs we tested.

Our study showed a marked increase in antibiotic resistance from those three, even at very low doses.

Notably, the antibiotic resistance appears to be antidepressant-dependent, which could also be as a consequence of oxidative stress in bacteria posed by antidepressants.

Further studies need to judge the potential effects on the microbiomes of individuals given antidepressants and assess their risk gastrointestinal disturbances or diseases.”

Professor Jianhua Guo from UQ’s Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology

It’s estimated 1.27 million people die every 12 months from infections which don’t reply to medication and the figure is predicted to achieve 10 million by 2050 unless global motion is taken.

The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and was funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Project, and the UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards.

Source:

The University of Queensland

Journal reference:

Wang, Y., et al. (2023) Antidepressants can induce mutation and enhance persistence toward multiple antibiotics. PNAS. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2208344120.