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Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to human and animal health. However, in aquatic animals—the fastest growing food animal sector globally—AMR trends are seldom documented, particularly in Asia, which contributes two-thirds of global food fish production. Here, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of 749 point prevalence surveys reporting antibiotic-resistant bacteria from aquatic food animals in Asia, extracted from 343 articles published in 2000–2019. We find concerning levels of resistance to medically important antimicrobials in foodborne pathogens. In aquaculture, the percentage of antimicrobial compounds per survey with resistance exceeding 50% (P50) plateaued at 33% [95% confidence interval (CI) 28 to 37%] between 2000 and 2018. In fisheries, P50 decreased from 52% [95% CI 39 to 65%] to 22% [95% CI 14 to 30%]. We map AMR at 10-kilometer resolution, finding resistance hotspots along Asia’s major river systems and coastal waters of China and India. Regions benefitting most from future surveillance efforts are eastern China and India. Scaling up surveillance to strengthen epidemiological evidence on AMR and inform aquaculture and fisheries interventions is needed to mitigate the impact of AMR globally.
Highlights
IntroductionIn aquatic animals—the fastest growing food animal sector globally—Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends are seldom documented, in Asia, which contributes two-thirds of global food fish production
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to human and animal health
We reviewed and mapped antimicrobial resistance in aquatic food animals in Asia during a period of substantial industry growth
Summary
In aquatic animals—the fastest growing food animal sector globally—AMR trends are seldom documented, in Asia, which contributes two-thirds of global food fish production. The rapid growth in animal protein production has been facilitated by a transition from extensive to intensive farming, which in terrestrial food animal sectors has historically been accompanied by the increasing use of antimicrobials[3,4]. As a result of this global shift in animal production, and growing demand for animal-source foods, the terrestrial and aquatic food animal production industries have emerged as the largest consumer by volume (73.7% and 5.7%, respectively) of antimicrobials globally[3,4,5]. Some species of fish, such as catfish, are associated with antimicrobial use rates per kilogram that exceed those in terrestrial animals and humans[5]
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