<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A common household staple has been linked to one of the world's biggest health threats: antibiotic resistance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that bacterial resistance was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and called it a </span><a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="significant global threat to public health."><span>significant global threat to public health.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now research from the University of South Australia has revealed common painkillers such as ibuprofen and paracetamol have been fuelling antibiotic resistance.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-dangerous-inmate-only-cell-contact-for-mushroom-killer/9a992bf7-c2d3-4578-bb08-514649c9a4b5" target="_blank"><strong><span>Dangerous inmate only cell contact for mushroom killer</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first-of-its-kind study found the two drugs drove resistance when used individually and could even amplify it when used together.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In one instance, researchers discovered that using ibuprofen and paracetamol alongside the broad-spectrum antibiotic ciprofloxacin to treat Escherichia coli (E. coli) led to significantly increased bacterial mutations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That made the E. coli highly resistant to the antibiotic.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/common-painkillers-ibuprofen-paracetamol-linked-to-antibiotic-resistance/f1c775b6-65ab-4501-b74e-124afb1f715a" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Worryingly, the bacteria were not only resistant to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, but increased resistance was also observed to multiple other antibiotics from different classes," lead researcher Associate Professor Rietie Venter said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We also uncovered the genetic mechanisms behind this resistance, with ibuprofen and paracetamol both activating the bacteria's defences to expel antibiotics and render them less effective."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-post-united-states-usa-parcel-suspension-donald-trump-tariff/52615197-11c5-4e00-98f0-d0f576ba7159" target="_blank"><strong><span>Australia Post suspends deliveries to the US after Trump tariffs</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2022/10/13/10/54/greatest-health-freedoms-study-where-australia-ranks-in-the-world-in-pictures"><img alt="NH" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/zfzFq2-DFmpy-tJ9NqpkSsUIaX0=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fa79a91ae-1867-4061-8ca1-5c8ac88a1c3f" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/zfzFq2-DFmpy-tJ9NqpkSsUIaX0=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fa79a91ae-1867-4061-8ca1-5c8ac88a1c3f 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/0nFlwhyTQbk8gKMPSQslyY5cpec=/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Fa79a91ae-1867-4061-8ca1-5c8ac88a1c3f 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">Where Australia ranks in countries with the greatest health freedoms</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2022/10/13/10/54/greatest-health-freedoms-study-where-australia-ranks-in-the-world-in-pictures">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Researchers also assessed the effects of several other medications on antibiotic resistance, including metformin and pseudoephedrine.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The results made it clear that "antibiotic resistance isn't just about antibiotics anymore".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Antibiotics have long been vital in treating infectious diseases, but their widespread overuse and misuse have driven a global rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria," Venter said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The study suggested further studies into the impacts of other drugs on antibiotic effectiveness were required in order to better understand and tackle the issue.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-suggests-us-may-like-a-dictator-in-threat-to-send-troops-to-chicago/6183008e-4f74-4774-b44b-f9bf0b7406c2" target="_blank"><strong><span>'A lot' of Americans would 'like a dictator', Trump says</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This was increasingly important for vulnerable groups, such as people in aged care homes where many residents took multiple medications daily.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This doesn't mean we should stop using these medications, but we do need to be more mindful about how they interact with antibiotics – and that includes looking beyond just two-drug combinations."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a 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