Antimicrobial and the Resistances in the Environment: Ecological and Health Risks, Influencing Factors, and Mitigation Strategies
Weitao Wang,
You Weng,
Ting Luo,
Qiang Wang,
Guiling Yang,
Yuanxiang Jin
Affiliations
Weitao Wang
College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, China
You Weng
College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, China
Ting Luo
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Laboratory (Hangzhou) for Risk Assessment of Agricultural Products of Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agro-Product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Qiang Wang
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Laboratory (Hangzhou) for Risk Assessment of Agricultural Products of Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agro-Product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Guiling Yang
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Laboratory (Hangzhou) for Risk Assessment of Agricultural Products of Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agro-Product Safety and Nutrition, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
Yuanxiang Jin
College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, China
Antimicrobial contamination and antimicrobial resistance have become global environmental and health problems. A large number of antimicrobials are used in medical and animal husbandry, leading to the continuous release of residual antimicrobials into the environment. It not only causes ecological harm, but also promotes the occurrence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. The role of environmental factors in antimicrobial contamination and the spread of antimicrobial resistance is often overlooked. There are a large number of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes in human beings, which increases the likelihood that pathogenic bacteria acquire resistance, and also adds opportunities for human contact with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. In this paper, we review the fate of antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance in the environment, including the occurrence, spread, and impact on ecological and human health. More importantly, this review emphasizes a number of environmental factors that can exacerbate antimicrobial contamination and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. In the future, the timely removal of antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance genes in the environment will be more effective in alleviating antimicrobial contamination and antimicrobial resistance.
