ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AS AN EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM

Antibiotic resistance is usually discussed as a clinical problem, but resistant bacteria and resistance  genes  also  move  through  water,  soil,  food  systems,  wastewater,  healthcare  waste  and  industrial  pollution. This environmental dimension is increasingly recognized as an important part of the One  Health response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antibiotic residues and resistant microorganisms  can  enter  the  environment  through  human  excreta,  animal  production,  pharmaceutical  manufacturing, agricultural runoff and inadequately treated waste. Environmental settings can then  provide opportunities for resistant organisms and resistance genes to persist, mix and spread.