Antibiotic resistance in the aquatic environments: the need for an interdisciplinary approach

Antibiotic resistance is a significant issue posing risks to public and animal health due to the declined treatment efficiency of infectious diseases. The presence of antibiotic resistance components such as antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistance genes has been found in a variety of environments affected by human activities. This review summarizes recent studies of the contamination of antibiotic resistance in different aquatic environments and suggests potential strategies to control this issue. Particularly, the presence of antibiotics, and other antimicrobial agents such as heavy metal creates selective pressure facilitating the development and spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment. Many different bacteria with intrinsic or aquired resistance to different classes of antibiotics were detected in water samples including wastewater, recreational water, surface waters, and drinking water. Furthermore, the medical, pharmaceutical, veterinary, livestock, and aquaculture industries may contribute to anthropogenic pollution that drives antibiotic resistance in the environment thus stewardship and regulatory guidelines should be emplaced to prevent the spread. This review proposes an approach to control and reduce the problem of antimicrobial resistance contamination in the environment through interdisciplinary coordination among the relevant sectors in society.