'Lough could spawn superbugs'

A SOUTH Antrim MLA has called for ‘urgent action’ after genes capable of creating antibiotic resistant superbugs have been detected in the Lough Neagh, which supplies drinking water to about 40% of Northern Ireland.

In recent years, the lough, which makes land over a wide stretch of the borough, has been blighted by algal blooms with ever-increasing frequency, leading to swimming and fishing bans and the deaths of fish, dogs and birds.

The issue has been compounded by sewage discharge and agricultural run-off.

Samples taken by Watershed Investigations and the (Manchester) Guardian found resistance genes ‘spanning multiple antibiotic classes, from common penicillins to last-resort carbapenems, as well as quinolones, macrolides, aminoglycosides and cephalosporins, which are used to treat pneumonia and other serious infections’.

Genes resistant to tetracycline, widely used in livestock, were also present, as well as markers of human, cattle and pig faeces, which can contain pathogens that can cause serious infections.

An in-depth report at the weekend from the Guardian told how deaths linked to antibiotic-resistant infections are rising worldwide.

The World Health Organization describes this antimicrobial resistance as ‘one of the most urgent, complex and frightening health challenges of our time’.

One water industry expert told the English paper: “Forty per cent of Northern Ireland are drinking water from a fetid pond filled with bacteria from human and animal waste, and now, unsurprisingly, there are AMR genes.”

Meanwhile, the Alliance Party Spokesperson on Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, John Blair MLA, has said that saving Lough Neagh ‘must be treated as an urgent shared priority’ following an environmental panel he chaired at the Alliance Party Conference.

The panel focused on the crisis at Lough Neagh and wider environmental threats, and brought together National Trust Director-General Hilary McGrady CBE, Nature Friendly Farming Network representative and farmer Helen Keys, Lough Neagh Partnership Manager Gerry Darby, and DAERA Minister Andrew Muir MLA.

The South Antrim representative said: “Lough Neagh is the environmental heart of my South Antrim constituency.

“The crisis we have seen there is the result of years of neglect and poor decision-making, and it is having a real impact on local communities, wildlife and our economy.

“The clear message from our panel was that we cannot afford to repeat those mistakes.”

“We have to do much better as a society - restoring water quality at Lough Neagh, supporting nature-friendly farming, building resilience to climate change and turning environmental plans into real delivery on the ground.

“That means government, local communities, environmental organisations and farmers all working together.

“The urgent need for NI Water investment in wastewater infrastructure, in particular, is also very clear.”