Cultivating antimicrobial resistance: how intensive agriculture ploughs the way for antibiotic resistance.

Kelbrick, Matthew ORCID: 0000-0002-8484-677X, Hesse, Elze and O' Brien, Siobhán ORCID: 0000-0003-2741-6172 (2023) Cultivating antimicrobial resistance: how intensive agriculture ploughs the way for antibiotic resistance. Microbiology (Reading, England), 169 (8). 001384-.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001384

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to public health, global food security and animal welfare. Despite efforts in antibiotic stewardship, AMR continues to rise worldwide. Anthropogenic activities, particularly intensive agriculture, play an integral role in the dissemination of AMR genes within natural microbial communities - which current antibiotic stewardship typically overlooks. In this review, we examine the impact of anthropogenically induced temperature fluctuations, increased soil salinity, soil fertility loss, and contaminants such as metals and pesticides on the <i>de novo</i> evolution and dissemination of AMR in the environment. These stressors can select for AMR - even in the absence of antibiotics - via mechanisms such as cross-resistance, co-resistance and co-regulation. Moreover, anthropogenic stressors can prime bacterial physiology against stress, potentially widening the window of opportunity for the <i>de novo</i> evolution of AMR. However, research to date is typically limited to the study of single isolated bacterial species - we lack data on how intensive agricultural practices drive AMR over evolutionary timescales in more complex microbial communities. Furthermore, a multidisciplinary approach to fighting AMR is urgently needed, as it is clear that the drivers of AMR extend far beyond the clinical environment.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Animals, Soil, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Pesticides, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Agriculture
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	05 Sep 2023 14:14
Last Modified:	15 Mar 2024 16:42
DOI:	10.1099/mic.0.001384
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001384
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3172552