With less than a month left for the Summer Olympics, a drug-resistant bacteria has been found in some of Rio de Janeiro’s beaches. A group of Brazilian scientists who conducted the research said the "super bacteria" – carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae – entered the coastal water when sewage coming from local hospitals got channeled into Guanabara Bay, reported CNN.
The bacteria has been detected in the Flamengo and Botafogo beaches, which share borders with the bay where the sailing events will be held. Leblon and Ipanema beaches, which attract lot of tourists, also had this bacteria.
Lead researcher Renata Picao, who along with her team collected the samples between 2013 and 2014, said poor sanitation infrastructure was responsible for this. She added that they will now test the impact these bacteria can have when humans come in contact with them in coastal waters. "We have been looking for 'super bacteria' in coastal waters during a one-year period in five beaches. We found that the threats occur in coastal waters in a variety of concentrations and that they are strongly associated with pollution," Picao said.
However, she did not recommend change of venue for the sailing events. "I wouldn't say to change the venues because we don't know the risks yet," said Picao.
When Rio won the bid to host the Olympics in 2009, it had promised to clean up the polluted waterways. Oceanographer David Zee said the Brazilian government promised to install eight treatment plants on Rio's polluted rivers, but they have reportedly installed only one. However, the organising committee officials said the venue is safe.
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