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Water and sanitation: an essential battlefront in the war on antimicrobial resistance.

  • Bürgmann H Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Seestrasse 79, Kastanienbaum, 6047, Switzerland.
  • Frigon D Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Room 492, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0C3, Canada.
  • H Gaze W European Center for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, TR1 3HD, UK.
  • M Manaia C Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBFQ- Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Arquiteto Robão Vital, Apartado 2511, 4202-401 Porto, Portugal.
  • Pruden A Via Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 418 Durham Hall, 1145 Perry Street, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA.
  • Singer AC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK.
  • F Smets B Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Miljøvej, DK 2800 Kgs., Lyngby, Denmark.
  • Zhang T Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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  • 2018-06-08
Published in:
  • FEMS microbiology ecology. - 2018
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bacteria
Drug Resistance, Bacterial
Humans
Sewage
Water Microbiology
Water Purification
English Water and sanitation represent a key battlefront in combatting the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Basic water sanitation infrastructure is an essential first step towards protecting public health, thereby limiting the spread of pathogens and the need for antibiotics. AMR presents unique human health risks, meriting new risk assessment frameworks specifically adapted to water and sanitation-borne AMR. There are numerous exposure routes to AMR originating from human waste, each of which must be quantified for its relative risk to human health. Wastewater treatment plants play a vital role in centralized collection and treatment of human sewage, but there are numerous unresolved issues in terms of the microbial ecological processes occurring within them and the extent to which they attenuate or amplify AMR. Research is needed to advance understanding of the fate of resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in various waste management systems, depending on the local constraints and intended reuse applications. World Health Organization and national AMR action plans would benefit from a more holistic 'One Water' understanding. In this article we provide a framework for research, policy, practice and public engagement aimed at limiting the spread of AMR from water and sanitation in low-, medium- and high-income countries.
Language
  • English
Open access status
bronze
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Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/139578
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