British scientists find surfers more likely to be exposed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria

SAN FRANCISCO - A group of British scientists have found that regular surfers are three times more likely to harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria than those who stick to dry land.

Researchers at the University of Exeter in southern England conducted a study among 300 people, most of whom are regular surfers, to see whether they are more vulnerable to bacteria in seawater.

The findings, which were published on Sunday in the journal Environment International, discovered that 9 percent of surfers, over three times more than non-surfers, had the antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria present in their guts.