A Practical Framework for Environmental Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Freshwater Ecosystems

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance (AR) and contamination are critical public and environmental health issues. In the last years, the environmental component of AR has acquired much interest due to its potential links with the human resistome. In particular, freshwater ecosystems are considered strategic sites for environmental AR surveillance, since they can act as both reservoirs and transmission routes for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. Many studies are needed to deepen our understanding of AR evolution and dynamics in freshwater ecosystems and, specifically, on the existence of links between environmental and human AR. This calls for the design of robust and adaptive AR surveillance strategies and, concomitantly, the implementation of routine monitoring programs that effectively capture the environmental dimension of AR in freshwater ecosystems. Here, a roadmap for AR monitoring in freshwater ecosystems, framed around four essential questions (how? what? where? when?), is presented to guide researchers and decision-makers in designing and implementing effective environmental AR routine monitoring programs. It was concluded that, due to the complexity, heterogeneity, and dynamic nature of freshwater ecosystems, it seems foreseeable that environmental AR monitoring programs need to be carefully adjusted to the particular casuistry of each freshwater ecosystem, as well as to the specific interests of the corresponding program and the resources available. Still, much research is needed to properly assess and monitor the risks derived from the emergence and dissemination of AR determinants in freshwaters for both ecosystem and human health. By synthesizing current knowledge and methodologies, this review consolidates existing approaches and can serve as a guide for planning AR monitoring programs in freshwater ecosystems.