In a groundbreaking study, scientists have discovered that disease-causing microbes can travel thousands of miles on high-level winds, posing a new threat to global public health.

Researchers have found a surprising variety of bacteria and fungi, including known pathogens and those with antibiotic resistance genes, hitching rides on these atmospheric currents, the Guardian reports.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, captured microbes traveling 1,243 miles to Japan from northeastern Communist China on dust particles blown by the wind. The findings show a complex intercontinental transport route for microbes like E. coli, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, and Clostridium difficile, protected from ultraviolet light and dehydration by being embedded in the particles.

The researchers used an aircraft to collect 22 dust samples from altitudes of between 0.6 miles and 1.9 miles above Japan, with the higher samples taken above the planetary boundary layer. This layer is the part of the atmosphere closest to the ground, where winds travel faster and farther without friction from the Earth’s surface.

While researchers noted that the low concentration of these microbes makes direct disease transmission to humans unlikely, the study raises concerns about microbes being introduced into new environments and the potential for antibiotic resistance genes to spread.

Xavier Rodó of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, who led the research team, emphasized the need to rethink our perception of air cleanliness at higher altitudes.

“Around 30 to 40 percent of the microbes were potentially pathogenic species, either well-recognized human pathogens or opportunistic pathogens,” which affect people with weakened immune systems, Mr. Rodo said. “We should be making use of the new methods to take samples and see what’s there. These bacteria and fungi are capable of withstanding very high and strong conditions in the environment.”