Safe to Surf

The ocean is an important source of transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to humans

Antibiotic resistance bacteria (ARB) jeopardize our ability to effectively treat bacterial infections and associated diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 2 million people each year in the U.S. get an antibiotic-resistant infection. The marine environment plays an increasingly important role in disseminating ARB, particularly through stormwater runoff into recreational waters where beachgoers can become exposed to pathogens. University of Southern California (USC) Sea Grant funded a study to better understand the marine environment’s role in transmitting ARB—specifically methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—to humans. Surfers are an ideal population to study this phenomenon because they are particularly active in recreational waters during periods of high volumes of stormwater runoff (storms mean good surf).

Key Results:

Surfers are two times more likely to be colonized by MRSA than non-surfers and six times more likely to be colonized by MRSA during rainy weather
Surfers are eight times more likely to be colonized by MRSA during the first rains of the season (due to larger, built-up quantities of bacteria and other pollutants)
Particularly high concentrations of MRSA occur at El Porto and Venice Beach after it rains due to stormwater runoff

Project Impacts & Application:

The project team presented at the Global Wave Conference at the Gold Coast Campus Southern Cross University, Australia; AGU Annual Meetings; and gave a Bruin Family Weekend Keynote Presentation
Provided social media education through non-profit partners Heal the Bay and The Surfrider Foundation
Collaboration with a local middle school led to the development of new curricular material on coastal antibiotic resistance