Antimicrobials and Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria in Australia

Abstract

The prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARB) is a global health issue. ARB can be considered a contaminant of emerging concern through their regular discharge to the aquatic environment from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This chapter focuses on the prevalence of antimicrobials and ARB through wastewater treatment and discharge to the environment in an Australian context. Despite the apparent dominance of WWTP effluent, the agricultural ionophore monensin was the frequently detected antimicrobial in surface waters. An analysis of antibiotic resistance genes in reclaimed water and environmental water samples used for irrigated agriculture found that the presence of these genes in environmental samples from an impacted river system was scarce, but their presence was quite prevalent in reclaimed water samples. The impact of the observations on public health and the potential for the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance through the aquatic environment demands further investigation to maintain the vigilance against the spread of infectious disease.