Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a form of human–wildlife conflict: Why and how nondomesticated species should be incorporated into AMR guidance

Abstract

The challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to receive significant global attention as common infections become increasingly resistant to the drugs used to treat them. Once an infectious microbe has developed a mechanism of resistance, it can cause longer, more damaging infections which are more costly, time‐consuming, and sometimes impossible to treat. Such impacts occur across the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Thus, AMR is considered a One Health issue. However, current narratives on AMR focus on humans, food‐producing animals, crops, and their immediate environments. Very little attention is given to wildlife in terms of the impact of AMR on their health, nor their role in the evolution and spread of AMR. This article (1) discusses an absence of wildlife in current AMR guidance, (2) suggests how this absence of wildlife could limit understanding of, and action on, AMR, (3) proposes that considering AMR as a form of human–wildlife conflict could enable AMR guidance to better incorporate wildlife into action planning and create a truly One Health approach to tackle AMR.