Antimicrobial Resistance in Marine Ecosystem: An Emerging Threat for Public Health

Abstract

The evolution of pathogenic microorganisms that can resist a wide range of antimicrobial treatments leading to treatment failure and loss of human and animal life represents one of the most thoughtful public health concerns in the world. The marine ecosystem is now increasingly recognized as a potentially significant “hotspot” for the emergence, maintenance, and dispersal of many clinically relevant and potentially novel AMR genes and microbes. The trends on AMR surges in marine life are the reflections of the conditions in humans. AMR in the marine ecosystem is a natural and ancient phenomenon, albeit higher levels are always related to increased human activities. Various marine pollutants and indiscriminate use of chemicals, including antimicrobials, in aquaculture practices contribute to AMR in the marine ecosystem. Antimicrobials used to treat infections in coastal aquaculture practices can get into the marine environment, which could adversely impact the marine biodiversity and terrestrial animal and human health consequent to the selection of AMR bacteria and AMR genes. Persistent pollutants like plastics function as important vectors for the dissemination of AMR bacteria into the marine ecosystem. As there are several ways these AMR bacteria and genes can be conveyed back to terrestrial animals and humans, AMR surges in the marine ecosystem represent a significant zoonotic health risk. The present chapter summarizes the current knowledge on AMR in the marine ecosystem and the major future research perspectives in the area.KeywordsMarinePollutantsAntimicrobialsAquaculturePlastics