Aerosol-Mediated Spread of Antibiotic Resistance Genes: Biomonitoring Indoor and Outdoor Environments

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a conspicuous global public health threat. The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the “One-Health” approach, which encourages the assessment of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) within an environment to constrain and alleviate the development of AMR. The prolonged use and overuse of antibiotics in treating human and veterinary illnesses, and the inability of wastewater treatment plants to remove them have resulted in elevated concentrations of these metabolites in the surroundings. Microbes residing within these settings acquire resistance under selective pressure and circulate between the air–land interface. Initial evidence on the indoor environments of wastewater treatment plants, hospitals, and livestock-rearing facilities as channels of AMR has been documented. Long- and short-range transport in a downwind direction disseminate aerosols within urban communities. Inhalation of such aerosols poses a considerable occupational and public health risk. The horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is another plausible route of AMR spread. The characterization of ARGs in the atmosphere therefore calls for cutting-edge research. In the present review, we provide a succinct summary of the studies that demonstrated aerosols as a media of AMR transport in the atmosphere, strengthening the need to biomonitor these pernicious pollutants. This review will be a useful resource for environmental researchers, healthcare practitioners, and policymakers to issue related health advisories.