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Antibiotics
Special Issues
Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment: One Health Approach, 2nd Edition
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Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment: One Health Approach, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotics Use and Antimicrobial Stewardship".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 12239

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marvasi Massimiliano

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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
Interests: antibiotics; food safety; environmental microbiology; cultural heritage conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Diane Purchase

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Natural Science, Middlesex University London, London NW4 4BT, UK
Interests: environmental biotechnology; microbial resources; antibiotic resistance; emerging pollutants; e-waste
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The overuse of antibiotics is one of the biggest drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is a threat to public health and a priority across the globe. The environment (both aquatic and terrestrial) is recognised to be a source of pathogenic AMR microorganisms that could affect human health and accelerate the development and spread of resistances. AMR microbes can be found in surface waters, soils, animal and human waste streams, and crops. Discharge of waste from human, animal, and pharmaceutical origins into receiving waters, reuse of wastewater for crop irrigations, and use of antibiotics in agriculture, livestock farming, and fisheries are some of the anthropogenic activities that contribute to AMR in the environment.

The inappropriate use of antibiotics to treat infections or prevent disease promotes growth in animals and plants that also leads to changes in the gut and soil microbiota. Such environments create ideal conditions for the development of AMR and transfer of this resistance among organisms. Recognising the risk associated with AMR in the environment can help to develop an effective integrated strategy to protect human and animal health.

Assessing and monitoring the environmental compartments can determine the type of resistance, the concentration of resistant microbes and their fitness, and the source of contamination. Determining the microbiomes in animals and their habitats can help to assess risk of development and spread of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs). Understanding the acquisition of antibiotic resistance by horizontal gene transfer and mutations can predict the persistence and spread of AMR. Evaluating the fate of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance during reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture can establish uptake by animals and crops.

Building on the success of our first Special Issue, we are proposing a second Special Issue to address this important research area. This Special Issue welcomes contributions in the following AMR in the environment research areas: assessment and monitoring including biosensors, microbiomes, metagenomics, ARG transfer, and risk assessment. We accept original research, reviews, mini-reviews, and meta-data analyses.

This topic fits within the scope of Antibiotics, as the Special Issue is focused on the use of antibiotics, including on animals and in agriculture, antibiotic resistance and misuse, antimicrobial stewardship, and qualitative and quantitative research exploring the determinants of antimicrobial use and resistance and developing new perspectives in this field.

Dr. Marvasi Massimiliano
Prof. Dr. Diane Purchase
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antibiotics
  • urban resistome
  • resistome
  • ARG
  • ARB
  • environmental pollution

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2104 KiB  
Article
Metagenomic Insights for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance in Soils with Different Land Uses in Brazil
by João Vitor Wagner Ordine, Gabrielle Messias de Souza, Gustavo Tamasco, Stela Virgilio, Ana Flávia Tonelli Fernandes, Rafael Silva-Rocha and María-Eugenia Guazzaroni
Antibiotics 2023, 12(2), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12020334 - 5 Feb 2023
Viewed by 2374
Abstract
Land-use conversion changes soil properties and their microbial communities, which, combined with the overuse of antibiotics in human and animal health, promotes the expansion of the soil resistome. In this context, we aimed to profile the resistome and the microbiota of soils under [...] Read more.
Land-use conversion changes soil properties and their microbial communities, which, combined with the overuse of antibiotics in human and animal health, promotes the expansion of the soil resistome. In this context, we aimed to profile the resistome and the microbiota of soils under different land practices. We collected eight soil samples from different locations in the countryside of São Paulo (Brazil), assessed the community profiles based on 16S rRNA sequencing, and analyzed the soil metagenomes based on shotgun sequencing. We found differences in the communities’ structures and their dynamics that were correlated with land practices, such as the dominance of Staphylococcus and Bacillus genera in agriculture fields. Additionally, we surveyed the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs) across studied soils, observing a higher presence and homogeneity of the vanRO gene in livestock soils. Moreover, three β-lactamases were identified in orchard and urban square soils. Together, our findings reinforce the importance and urgency of AMR surveillance in the environment, especially in soils undergoing deep land-use transformations, providing an initial exploration under the One Health approach of environmental levels of resistance and profiling soil communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment: One Health Approach, 2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 1562 KiB  
Article
Wide-Scope Target and Suspect Screening of Antibiotics in Effluent Wastewater from Wastewater Treatment Plants in Europe
by Kelsey Ng, Nikiforos A. Alygizakis, Nikolaos S. Thomaidis and Jaroslav Slobodnik
Antibiotics 2023, 12(1), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12010100 - 6 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2092
Abstract
The occurrence of antibiotics in the environment could result in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which could result in a public health crisis. The occurrence of 676 antibiotics and the main transformation products (TPs) was investigated in the 48 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) [...] Read more.
The occurrence of antibiotics in the environment could result in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which could result in a public health crisis. The occurrence of 676 antibiotics and the main transformation products (TPs) was investigated in the 48 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) from 11 countries (Germany, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Austria, Cyprus, and Greece) by target and suspect screening. Target screening involved the investigation of antibiotics with reference standards (40 antibiotics). Suspect screening covered 676 antibiotics retrieved from the NORMAN Substance Database (antibiotic list on NORMAN network). Forty-seven antibiotics were detected in effluent wastewater samples: thirty-two by target screening and fifteen additional ones by suspect screening. An ecotoxicological risk assessment was performed based on occurrence data and predicted no effect concentration (PNEC), which involved the derivation of frequency of appearance (FoA), frequency of PNEC exceedance (FoE), and extent of PNEC exceedance (EoE). Azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin were prioritized as the calculated risk score was above 1. The median of antibiotics’ load to freshwater ecosystems was 0.59 g/day/WWTP. The detection of antibiotics across countries indicates the presence of antibiotics in the ecosystems of Europe, which may trigger unwanted responses from the ecosystem, including antibiotic resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment: One Health Approach, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 692 KiB  
Article
A Formative Assessment of Antibiotic Dispensing/Prescribing Practices and Knowledge and Perceptions of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) among Healthcare Workers in Lahore Pakistan
by Noor Sabah Rakhshani, Linda Marie Kaljee, Mohammad Imran Khan, Tyler Prentiss, Ali Turab, Ali Mustafa, Memoona Khalid and Marcus Zervos
Antibiotics 2022, 11(10), 1418; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11101418 - 16 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2029
Abstract
(1) Background: Antimicrobial resistance causes significant disease burden in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this paper is to describe antibiotic dispensing/prescribing practices and underlying factors associated with these practices among community-based healthcare workers. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Antimicrobial resistance causes significant disease burden in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this paper is to describe antibiotic dispensing/prescribing practices and underlying factors associated with these practices among community-based healthcare workers. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from private and public health facilities in 14 union councils, Lahore Pakistan. Respondents included physicians, nurses, lady health workers/volunteers, midwives, pharmacy and medicine shop employees, and medical technicians. Descriptive and bivariate analysis are used to present the data; (3) Results: 177 respondents completed the survey. In terms of weekly dispensing of antibiotics, the most common were Amoxicillin/Augmentin (2.3 [SD 1.5]), Cefixine (2.4 [SD 1.6]), and Azithromycin (2.5 [SD 2.1]). For children, antibiotics were more likely to be prescribed/dispensed for sore throat (54.3%/95) and diarrhea (48.9%/86). For adults, antibiotics were more likely to be prescribed/dispensed for sore throat (67.0%/118), diarrhea (59.7%/105) and burning sensation when urinating (55.7%/176). In total, 55.4% of respondents stated that they have sold partial antibiotic courses to patients/customers. A total of 44.6% of respondents incorrectly answered that antibiotics could be used for viral infections; (4) Conclusions: Data from this study and similar research emphasize the urgent need to implement community-based stewardship programs for all healthcare workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment: One Health Approach, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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17 pages, 1250 KiB  
Review
The Bacterial Urban Resistome: Recent Advances
by Alberto Vassallo, Steve Kett, Diane Purchase and Massimiliano Marvasi
Antibiotics 2022, 11(4), 512; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11040512 - 12 Apr 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3138
Abstract
Cities that are densely populated are reservoirs of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs). The overall presence of all resistance genes in a specific environment is defined as a resistome. Spatial proximity of surfaces and different hygienic conditions leads to the transfer of antibiotic resistant [...] Read more.
Cities that are densely populated are reservoirs of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs). The overall presence of all resistance genes in a specific environment is defined as a resistome. Spatial proximity of surfaces and different hygienic conditions leads to the transfer of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) within urban environments. Built environments, public transportation, green spaces, and citizens’ behaviors all support persistence and transfer of antimicrobial resistances (AMR). Various unique aspects of urban settings that promote spread and resilience of ARGs/ARB are discussed: (i) the role of hospitals and recreational parks as reservoirs; (ii) private and public transportation as carriers of ARGs/ARB; (iii) the role of built environments as a hub for horizontal gene transfer even though they support lower microbial biodiversity than outdoor environments; (iv) the need to employ ecological and evolutionary concepts, such as modeling the fate of a specific ARG/ARB, to gain enhanced health risk assessments. Our understanding and our ability to control the rise of AMR in an urban setting is linked to our knowledge of the network connecting urban reservoirs and the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment: One Health Approach, 2nd Edition)
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Other

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7 pages, 806 KiB  
Brief Report
Conifer Needle Phyllosphere as a Potential Passive Monitor of Bioaerosolised Antibiotic Resistance Genes
by Paul B. L. George, Samantha Leclerc, Nathalie Turgeon, Marc Veillette and Caroline Duchaine
Antibiotics 2022, 11(7), 907; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11070907 - 7 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2039
Abstract
Monitoring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is vital to the One Health approach to tackling the antibiotic resistance crisis. It has been suggested that conifer needles can be used as passive bioaerosol samplers. Here, the use of conifer needles as biomonitors of ARGs in [...] Read more.
Monitoring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is vital to the One Health approach to tackling the antibiotic resistance crisis. It has been suggested that conifer needles can be used as passive bioaerosol samplers. Here, the use of conifer needles as biomonitors of ARGs in bioaerosols was assessed as a proof-of-concept. Needles were collected from trees surrounding pig farms, villages, and forest sites in Québec, Canada. Needles were homogenised and DNA was extracted. Results of qPCR analyses showed biomass estimates were consistent across samples. Number and quantity of ARGs was significantly lower in forest sites when compared to the farm and village, comprising a distinct resistome. Consistent with previous findings, the most common ARGs were tetracyclines and sulfonamides, which were found close to agricultural activities. Although results were limited, there is great potential for using the conifer phyllosphere as a passive bioaerosol sampler. This method represents an accessible way to promote ARG surveillance over long distances from point sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment: One Health Approach, 2nd Edition)
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