Antibiotic-resistant E coli found in Avon

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been found in Christchurch’s Avon River, leading scientists to urge city authorities to tighten water quality standards.

The river has harboured E coli for years, but the bacteria’s increasing resistance could mean people fight off illness more slowly when treated with common medication, or infections may be prolonged.

Pets, such as dogs, could fall ill from playing in the water and that infection could be passed to their owners.

The samples were found in a stretch of river popular for canoeing and punting in Hagley Park near Christchurch Hospital.

Researchers from the University of Canterbury have called on the Christchurch City Council to help them identify where the resistant bacteria has come from to head off potential risks to the public.

Biology Professor Jack Heinemann, who led the study, said the findings are preliminary and stressed that his team has found no evidence of any link between bacteria in the river and people getting sick.

But he said: ‘‘Everybody knows The Ganges is full of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but we don’t really expect such things in New Zealand.

‘‘It’s obviously possible people can get sick from contaminated water, but we don’t know that the resistance levels in the Avon are contributing to any kind of medical problem.

‘‘There is an ingestion risk, so if you take in enough of the water directly and some of those E coli are pathogens they could cause an infection and treatment might be delayed or compromised because of the resistance.

‘‘That’s also true for pets – if they get sick their treatment may be delayed or compromised.’’

Heinemann has asked the city council to help isolate the source of the antibiotic-resistant E coli, which he told Stuff could be anything from stormwater or leaky pipes to animals or migratory birds.

‘‘If we knew, for example, that there was a sewer line in a particular location close to where we’re getting resistance, that would be the most likely explanation, especially if there wasn’t a sewer line where we don’t get resistance.