Paracetamol is one of the very few drugs that does get completely degraded by bacteria. Nijmegen-based research now provides clues on the genes and proteins involved, and what this tells us about bacterial evolution.

A wide variety of (active ingredients of) medicines end up in wastewater each year. Because these are not natural substances, it is difficult for bacteria in wastewater treatment plants to break them down. Due to the low concentrations and variety of compounds, other removal methods are very costly. If they are available at all. As a result, pharmaceutical pollutants end up in the environment, where they accumulate. This is a problem for all kinds of organisms, including humans because these compounds eventually reappear in drinking water.