We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
The Role of the Environment (Water, Air, Soil) in the Emergence and Dissemination of Antimicrobial Resistance: A One Health Perspective
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how water, soil, and air act as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, with microplastics highlighted as one of several agents that help spread drug-resistant genes across environments. The findings matter for human health because microplastics can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria from wastewater and agricultural runoff into water supplies and food systems.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a planetary health emergency, driven not only by the clinical misuse of antibiotics but also by diverse environmental dissemination pathways. This review critically examines the role of environmental compartments-water, soil, and air-as dynamic reservoirs and transmission routes for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and resistance genes (ARGs). Recent metagenomic, epidemiological, and mechanistic evidence demonstrates that anthropogenic pressures-including pharmaceutical effluents, agricultural runoff, untreated sewage, and airborne emissions-amplify resistance evolution and interspecies gene transfer via horizontal gene transfer mechanisms, biofilms, and mobile genetic elements. Importantly, it is not only highly polluted rivers such as the Ganges that contribute to the spread of AMR; even low concentrations of antibiotics and their metabolites, formed during or after treatment, can significantly promote the selection and dissemination of resistance. Environmental hotspots such as European agricultural soils and airborne particulate zones near wastewater treatment plants further illustrate the complexity and global scope of pollution-driven AMR. The synergistic roles of co-selective agents, including heavy metals, disinfectants, and microplastics, are highlighted for their impact in exacerbating resistance gene propagation across ecological and geographical boundaries. The efficacy and limitations of current mitigation strategies, including advanced wastewater treatments, thermophilic composting, biosensor-based surveillance, and emerging regulatory frameworks, are evaluated. By integrating a One Health perspective, this review underscores the imperative of including environmental considerations in global AMR containment policies and proposes a multidisciplinary roadmap to mitigate resistance spread across interconnected human, animal, and environmental domains.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics: Disseminators of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogenic bacteria
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examined the role of microplastics as carriers of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and pathogenic bacteria, analyzing how plastisphere biofilms concentrate and spread AMR through air, water, and soil environments. The evidence supports MPs as global vectors for antimicrobial resistance dissemination with implications for human health.
Microplastic-associated pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in environment
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how microplastics in the environment act as surfaces for disease-causing bacteria and antibiotic-resistant microbes to colonize and spread. Researchers found that microplastics can carry pathogens and facilitate the transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes between bacteria in water systems. The findings raise concerns that microplastic pollution may be contributing to the growing global challenge of antibiotic resistance.
Recent advances in understanding the impact of microplastics on bacterial antibiotic resistance: mechanisms, evidence gaps, and One Health implications
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in environments like wastewater, rivers, and farms, finding they can host bacteria that carry antibiotic-resistance genes and may help spread these genes. The paper notes that while studies show enrichment of resistant bacteria on plastics, it remains unclear whether this translates into actual disease risk for humans or animals.
Environmental drivers of antibiotic resistance: Synergistic effects of climate change, co-pollutants, and microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how climate change, chemical pollutants, and microplastics work together to accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance, a growing global health crisis. Microplastics provide surfaces where bacteria form communities that exchange resistance genes, and as these plastics age in the environment, they become even better at absorbing other pollutants, creating hotspots that amplify drug resistance.
Microplastics and their role in the emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria as a threat for the environment
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how microplastics act as breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria by providing surfaces where bacteria can swap resistance genes with each other — a process called horizontal gene transfer. This dual threat of plastic pollution and antibiotic resistance is compounding into a significant global public health crisis.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.