Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment: Review of the Selected Resistance Drivers and Public Health Concerns

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global epidemic due to the improper overuse of antimicrobials in the agriculture, veterinary, and medical sectors. Antimicrobial-resistant genes (ARGs) spread primarily through the environment, which is becoming a growing concern among researchers and stakeholders. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their ARGs are spread by various factors, such as the use of antimicrobial drugs in health care, agriculture and livestock, and the environment, as well as the release of antibiotic residue. Through various routes and hotspots such as hospital wastewater, agricultural waste, and wastewater treatment plants, resistant microorganisms, and their resistance genes enter the soil, air, water, and sediments. It is important to identify high-risk environments that cause the evolution of resistance and its spread around the world if global mitigation strategies are to be effective. As a result, infection control, sanitation, access to clean water, antimicrobials, diagnostics, travel, and migration are all factors impacting AMR transmission. Through various mechanisms, this review discusses AMR as a global concern and how environmental factors may contribute to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.