Abstract
Bactericides, fungicides, and other pesticides play an important role in the management of plant diseases. However, their use can result in residues on plants and in the environment, with potentially detrimental consequences. The use of streptomycin, oxytetracycline, copper-based products, and some fungicides is correlated with increased resistance among plant pathogens to these agents. Likewise, the recent rise in the incidence of environmental triazole fungicide-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus, the cause of aspergillosis in humans, has caused concern, particularly in Europe. Through horizontal gene transfer, genes can be exchanged among a variety of bacteria in the plant production environment, including phytopathogens, soil bacteria, and zoonotic bacteria that are occasionally present in that environment and in the food chain. Through mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, co-resistance, cross-resistance, and gene up-regulation, resistance to one compound may confer resistance and multi-drug resistance to other similar, or even very dissimilar, compounds. Given the global rise in antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) organisms, and their effects on plant, animal, and human health, the prudent use of pesticides is required to maintain their effectiveness for food security and sustainable production, and to minimize the emergence and transmission of AMR organisms from horticultural sources.
Highlights
© Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Gentamicin, another aminoglycoside antibiotic used in plant agriculture, differs from streptomycin regarding the structure of the heterocyclic ring, and the hydroxyl substitutions that are linked to the amino sugars
Despite the body of literature available on antimicrobial resistance, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge related to the use of fungicides associated with antimicrobials in worldwide horticulture, and the effects of such uses on the evolution and selection of resistance to human and animal pathogens
Summary
Infectious Diseases Institute, a FAO Reference Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Food and Agriculture.
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