Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Plant Agriculture: A One Health Perspective

Abstract

Bactericides, fungicides, and other pesticides play an important role in the management of plant diseases. However, their use can result in residues on plants and in the environment, with potentially detrimental consequences. The use of streptomycin, oxytetracycline, copper-based products, and some fungicides is correlated with increased resistance among plant pathogens to these agents. Likewise, the recent rise in the incidence of environmental triazole fungicide-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus, the cause of aspergillosis in humans, has caused concern, particularly in Europe. Through horizontal gene transfer, genes can be exchanged among a variety of bacteria in the plant production environment, including phytopathogens, soil bacteria, and zoonotic bacteria that are occasionally present in that environment and in the food chain. Through mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, co-resistance, cross-resistance, and gene up-regulation, resistance to one compound may confer resistance and multi-drug resistance to other similar, or even very dissimilar, compounds. Given the global rise in antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) organisms, and their effects on plant, animal, and human health, the prudent use of pesticides is required to maintain their effectiveness for food security and sustainable production, and to minimize the emergence and transmission of AMR organisms from horticultural sources.

Factors impacting antimicrobial resistance in the South East Asian food system and potential places to intervene: A participatory, one health study

“…Antibiotic and AMR spread through the food chain, into the environment, to wildlife and humans were also identified as driving AMR as others have found ( Bondad-Reantaso et al, 2012 ; Holmes et al, 2016 ; Stålsby Lundborg and Tamhankar, 2017 ; Zellweger et al, 2017 ; Ng et al, 2018 ). Consistent with others ( Gupta, 2012 ; Laohaudomchok et al, 2021 ), our study found pesticide use in food production in SEA, which can contribute to AMR via the natural environment (e.g., soil; Malagón-Rojas et al, 2020 ; Miller et al, 2022 ), reinforcing calls to better understand how soil, water, and pesticides interrelate to generate and spread AMR ( Miller et al, 2022 ). Other participants identified social factors influencing AMR in SEA which are also found in the literature, and included: lack of awareness about AMR, antimicrobials and their proper use among the public, food service industry, prescribers, drug sellers, farmers, and knowledge brokers, such as government officers; inappropriate prescribing practices; and access to antibiotics or antimicrobials through public, private, and unregulated supply chains ( Puspitasari et al, 2011 ; Islahudin et al, 2014 ; Nga et al, 2014 ; Om et al, 2017 ; Zellweger et al, 2017 ).…”

Current Techniques to Study Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interactions

“…However, it should be considered that in nature strains tagged with antibiotic resistance can pose serious concerns regarding the possible spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment due to horizontal gene transfer. Consequently, the deliberate release of PGPB tagged with antibiotic resistance genes is not recommended [ 93 , 94 ].…”

Application of antimicrobial, potential hazard and mitigation plans

“…Pesticides such as bactericides and fungicides that are commonly used in agriculture could persists in soil and became a potential AMR reservoir. Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the fungi that caused aspergillosis in human that showed resistant to the triazole medication ( Miller et al, 2022 ). According to Rybak et al (2019) , gene mutation cyp51A is the potential cause that contributes to the fungus resistance to the drug.…”