Climate Change Tied to 10% Rise in Salmonella Resistance
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- The Lancet Planetary Health study found climate change linked to a 10% global increase in salmonella antibiotic resistance genes between 1940 and 2023, the first quantitative global analysis of its kind.
- Researchers from the UK, France, Australia, Switzerland, and China analyzed genomes of more than 480,000 salmonella samples collected from 139 countries.
- 82% of countries studied showed increases in salmonella resistance genes, with the strongest climate-associated rises in the Middle East and North Africa, followed by South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
- The research team concluded that rising temperatures and altered precipitation "non-linearly amplify" the abundance and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes, urging integration of Paris Agreement climate policies with antibiotic stewardship and One Health surveillance.
- Antibiotic resistance already kills more than 1 million people a year, and the study showed the climate-resistance relationship is correlation, not proven causation — though authors called the evidence "robust."
Why it matters: This is the first global quantitative study linking climate change to rising antimicrobial resistance, finding 82% of countries affected and a 10% jump in salmonella resistance genes since 1940. The hardest-hit regions (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa) are also the most climate-vulnerable, meaning two of medicine's biggest threats now have to be fought together — the researchers explicitly demand Paris Agreement alignment with antibiotic stewardship.
