Antarctica, for a long time, has been largely untouched by humans, allowing a flourishing ecosystem to evolve. Since the year 1990, the country is becoming a popular destination for the adventure-seekers.
A new study suggests that the tourists could be leaving behind harmful bacteria that could devastate the area’s native bird population.
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Usually, there are cases of diseases transmitted from animal to humans such as swine flu, Ebola, and Zika virus, the reverse holds true as well. Humans can also infect animals with diseases such as salmonella, mumps, and flu.
However, researchers believed that animals living in Antarctica were immune to the danger that is caused by the extreme weather of the continent.
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The microbiologist Marta Cerda-Cuellar from the Research Center for Animal Health in Barcelona conducted a study in which she along with some colleagues decided to study fecal samples of the Antartic birds to get the evidence of human bacteria.
From the year 2008 to 2011, fecal samples of 666 adult birds were collected from local species. Upon the examination, the researchers said that bacteria strains were resistant to commonly-used human antibiotics.
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