Muhammad Zaman Featured in The Brink

Dr. Muhammad Zaman, a BU College of Engineering professor of biomedical engineering who studies antimicrobial resistance and refugee and migrant health, was recently featured in The Brink.

In “Microplastics Could Be Fueling Antibiotic Resistance, BU Study Finds,” a team of Boston University researchers led by Zaman found that bacteria exposed to microplastics became resistant to multiple types of antibiotics commonly used to treat infections. They say this is especially concerning for people in high-density, impoverished areas like refugee settlements, where discarded plastic piles up and bacterial infections spread easily.

“We’re demonstrating that the presence of plastics is doing a whole lot more than just providing a surface for the bacteria to stick—they are leading to the development of resistant organisms,” Zaman says. He directs BU’s Center on Forced Displacement, which has a mission to improve the lives of displaced people around the world. Past research has found that refugees, asylum seekers, and forcibly displaced populations are at an increased risk of contracting drug-resistant infections, due to living in overcrowded camps and having heightened barriers to receiving healthcare.