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The Scourge of Antibiotic Resistance: The Important Role of the Environment

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TLDR
The rapid evolution and spread of "new" antibiotic resistance genes has been enhanced by modern human activity and its influence on the environmental resistome, which highlights the importance of including the role of the environmental vectors, such as bacterial genetic diversity within soil and water, in resistance risk management.
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance and associated genes are ubiquitous and ancient, with most genes that encode resistance in human pathogens having originated in bacteria from the natural environment (eg, β-lactamases and fluoroquinolones resistance genes, such as qnr). The rapid evolution and spread of "new" antibiotic resistance genes has been enhanced by modern human activity and its influence on the environmental resistome. This highlights the importance of including the role of the environmental vectors, such as bacterial genetic diversity within soil and water, in resistance risk management. We need to take more steps to decrease the spread of resistance genes in environmental bacteria into human pathogens, to decrease the spread of resistant bacteria to people and animals via foodstuffs, wastes and water, and to minimize the levels of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria introduced into the environment. Reducing this risk must include improved management of waste containing antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.

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Opportunistic pathogens and elements of the resistome that are common in bottled mineral water support the need for continuous surveillance.

TL;DR: Differences concerning bacterial species, opportunistic pathogens, elements of the resistome as well as variations concerning the CFU/mL counts were identified in some of the five most marketed bottled mineral water from Araraquara city, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater Treatment Plants and Transmission Risks for Employees and Residents: The Concept of the AWARE Study

TL;DR: The AWARE (Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater: Transmission Risks for Employees and Residents around Wastewater Treatment Plants) study as discussed by the authors investigates the potential spread of ESBL-producing E. coli, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, and antibiotic resistance genes from WWTPs to workers, the environment, and nearby residents.
Journal ArticleDOI

Distinct aggregate stratification of antibiotic resistome in farmland soil with long-term manure application.

TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined the patterns of antibiotic resistome distribution among differently sized soil aggregates using high-throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction (HT-qPCR) and showed that the distribution of soil ARGs could be affected by manure application and aggregate size individually but not interactively.
Journal Article

Multiple antibiotic resistant index and detection of qnrS and qnrB genes in bacterial consortium of urine samples from clinical settings

TL;DR: The presence of resistant genes in ciprofloxacin-resistant P. aeruginosa and quinolone-resistant E. faecalis in urine samples further emphasized the need for the regulation of over-the-counter prescription and antibiotic susceptibility survey of anti-pseudomonal and anti-enterococcal quinlones in hospital settings.
Journal ArticleDOI

Simultaneous Removal of Antibiotics and Heavy Metals with Poly(Aspartic Acid)-Based Fenton Micromotors

TL;DR: In this paper, a multifunctional micromotor was proposed to implement the adsorption and degradation roles simultaneously by integrating the poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) adsorbent with a MnO2-based catalyst.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Antibiotics in the aquatic environment - A review - Part II

TL;DR: This review brings up important questions that are still open, and addresses some significant issues which must be tackled in the future for a better understanding of the behavior of antibiotics in the environment, as well as the risks associated with their occurrence.
Journal ArticleDOI

Antibiotic resistance is ancient

TL;DR: Target metagenomic analyses of rigorously authenticated ancient DNA from 30,000-year-old Beringian permafrost sediments are reported and show conclusively that antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon that predates the modern selective pressure of clinical antibiotic use.
BookDOI

Water for Food Water for Life : A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture

TL;DR: Molden et al. as discussed by the authors presented a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture, focusing on water for food, water for life, and water for the future of agriculture.
Journal ArticleDOI

Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in water environments

TL;DR: Methods to reduce resistant bacterial load in wastewaters, and the amount of antimicrobial agents, in most cases originated in hospitals and farms, include optimization of disinfection procedures and management of wastewater and manure.
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