Antimicrobial resistance in the environment

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to pose a significant public health problem in terms of mortality and economic loss. Health authorities of several countries including India have formulated action plans for its containment. In this fight against AMR, it is important to realize the contribution by all the following four spheres: humans, animals, food and environment. This review incorporates all the spheres of One Health concept from the Indian perspective. India has one of the highest rates of resistance to antimicrobial agents used both in humans and food animals. The environment, especially the water bodies, have also reported the presence of resistant organisms or their genes. Specific socio-economic and cultural factors prevalent in India make the containment of resistance more challenging. Injudicious use of antimicrobials and inadequate treatment of waste waters are important drivers of AMR in India. Use of sludge in agriculture, improper discard of livestock animals and aquaculture industry are considered AMR contributors in other countries but Indian data regarding these are lacking. Efforts to combat AMR have been initiated by the Indian health authorities but are still at preliminary stages. Keeping in view the challenges unique to India, future directions are proposed.

Antimicrobials Misuse/Overuse: Adverse Effect, Mechanism, Challenges and Strategies to Combat Resistance

“…7The environments, especially the water bodies, have also reported the presence of resistant organisms or their genes. Specific socio-economic and cultural factors prevalence make the containment of resistance more challenging [27].…”

Antimicrobial resistance: Call for rational antibiotics practice in India

“…[ 43 ] Antimicrobial-resistant microbes have also been found in various animals other than humans like cows, buffaloes, fishes, shrimps, shellfishes, crabs, etc., Even natural resources like water bodies are not safe as antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and their genes have also been found in some of the water sources of India. [ 44 ]…”

“…[ 48 ] Around 17% to 75% of the Vibrio cholera e have been found to be resistant toward tetracycline. [ 44 ] Between 2004 and 2007, E. coli samples showed 73%, 59%, and 75% of rate of resistance to naladixic acid, co-trimoxazole, and ampicillin, respectively. [ 49 ] Also from 2008 to 2013, resistance of E. coli to cephalosporins (third generation) has increased from 70% to 83%, whereas resistance of fluoroquinolone has increased from 78% to 85%, and carbapenems resistance increased from 10% to 13%.…”

Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria from Sewage and Pond Water, Malda, India

“…The bacterial antibiotic resistance has been reported as one of the most serious threats to the human as well as environmental health of this time, though antibiotics had tackled in the past many critical situations in clinical practices [1,2]. The occurrence of resistance to multiple antibiotics among bacteria, having the capacity to cause many health threats to humans, is not uncommon, in our times, in the environment, including aquatic bodies [3][4][5].…”

“…not only in clinical practices, in veterinary medicine and in agri-), there has been an acceleration in the emergence and dissemination of multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) bacteria, restricting the efficacies of the currently available antibiotics in curing human diseases (of bacterial infections), worldwide[1,18]. Obviously, the antibiotic resistances are not limited in clinical settings, rather reported in agricultural as well as various environmental settings, and foods[19,20].…”