Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Dissemination in Aquatic Systems

Abstract

This special issue on Antimicrobial Resistance in Environmental Waters features 11 articles on monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in natural aquatic systems (reservoirs, rivers), and effluent discharge from water treatment plants to assess the effectiveness of AMR removal and resulting loads in treated waters. The occurrence and distribution of antimicrobials, antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) was determined by utilizing a variety of techniques including liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry in tandem (LC-MS/MS), traditional culturing, antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST), molecular and OMIC approaches. Some of the key elements of AMR studies presented in this special issue highlight the underlying drivers of AMR contamination in the environment and evaluation of the hazard imposed on aquatic organisms in receiving environments through ecological risk assessments. As described in this issue, screening antimicrobial peptide (AMP) libraries for biofilm disruption and antimicrobial candidates are promising avenues for the development of new treatment options to eradicate resistance. This editorial puts into perspective the current AMR problem in the environment and potential new methods which could be applied to surveillance and monitoring efforts.

Predominance of blaTEM and tetA genes in antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from Laguna Lake, Philippines

“…Among the ARB, the spread of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae is identified as a primary concern of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015 (Ng & Gin 2019). From the ESBL-producing bacteria, the temoneira (TEM) β-lactamases are produced due to mutations in TEM, which are encoded by bla TEM genes (Bailey et al 2011;Baniga et al 2020).…”

Prevalence and Traits of Mobile Colistin Resistance Gene Harbouring Isolates from Different Ecosystems in Africa

“…Potentially pathogenic and resistant organisms emanating from either of these ecosystems move with ease to another [ 17 ]. The release of antimicrobials, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, and ARGs by humans and animals (by ejection or by anthropogenic activities) into the environment results in the contamination of soil, aquatic systems, plants, and wildlife has serious ramifications on public health [ 17 , 18 ]. Crops/plants (particularly vegetables and fruits) contaminated with COL-resistant organisms when consumed raw or undercooked by humans/animals pose a serious risk to the consumer's health [ 19 ].…”

Country Income Is Only One of the Tiles: The Global Journey of Antimicrobial Resistance among Humans, Animals, and Environment

“…Yet it has proven difficult to achieve these objectives on a global scale, and especially in LMICs, largely because current surveillance systems deliver data that are extremely variable in quality and quantity [ 104 ]. Nowadays, water is one of the most important targets and opportunities to track and investigate AMR from very different points of view [ 105 , 106 ]; Aarestrup and Woolhouse recently proposed a very promising plan for a global AMR surveillance system based on the quantification of AMR genes in sewage that will be especially helpful for community AMR surveillance, and it will provide an affordable surveillance option even in resource-poor settings or remote locations without microbiology laboratories [ 104 ].…”