14 DAY TRIAL // In a first-of-its-kind investigation, scientists at the University of Nevada in Reno (UNR) discovered that antibiotics have transgenerational effects, meaning that they cause changes that are transferred to the next generation, from parents to their offspring.
This could be a very significant finding, analysts says. The discovery was made on pseudoscorpions (Cordylochernes scorpioides), tiny arachnids that resemble scorpions. If the same effects are found in humans, than the indiscriminate use of antibiotics may need to be reconsidered and reevaluated.
UNR investigators determined that C. scorpioides males given the antibiotic tetracycline exhibited reduced sperm quality and quantity. What's worse, they passed on the same changes to their offspring. A similar effect may be occurring in humans as well, scientists fear.
Details of the new study were presented in the latest issue of the open-access journal Scientific Reports, which is edited by Nature. “This is the first research to show a transgenerational effect of antibiotics,” says David Zeh, the lead author of the investigation.
“Tetracycline has a significant detrimental effect on male reproductive function and sperm viability of pseudoscorpions – reducing viability by up to 25 percent – and now we know that effect is passed on to the next generation. We didn't see the effect in subsequent generations,” he goes on to add.
The expert holds an appointment as the chair of the UNR College of Science Department of Biology. He says that the team analyzed three generations of pseudoscorpions, and found that the negative effects were only visible in the second, not third, generation.
“Tetracycline, one of the most widely used antibiotics, has previously been shown to have negative effects on male reproduction in vertebrates, including humans,” scientist George Gilchrist explains.
He holds an appointment as a program director with the Division of Environmental Biology at the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The DEB provided the funds needed for this investigation.
“This study confirms that effect in these unusual invertebrates, but also demonstrates a toxic effect across generations. It is of broad importance because of the potential for cross-generational effects on the fertility of food animals and humans, which has never before been examined,” Gilchrist says.
The silver lining in this study is that tetracycline was found to have no adverse effects on females.