Antibiotic Resistance: The Role of Aquatic Environments
A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanism and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 784
Special Issue Editors
Interests: waterborne diseases; fecal indicator bacteria; antibiotic resistance; One Health
Interests: waterborne diseases; fecal indicator bacteria; antibiotic resistance; irrigation water quality; monitoring methodology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Antibiotic resistance has become a growing concern worldwide, posing threats to both human and animal health. Water environments have been identified as crucial reservoirs and dissemination routes for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The prevalence of antibiotic resistance in water environments has been attributed to various factors such as (1) contamination from runoff and wastewater effluent containing antibiotics or antibiotic-resistant bacteria; (2) the improper disposal, misuse and overuse of antibiotics; (3) inadequate wastewater treatment; (4) agricultural practices permitting the shedding of antibiotics or residues into the environment from livestock or manure; and (5) selective pressures from other contaminants or conditions in the environment that co-select for antibiotic resistance.
Key topics covered in this issue will include:
- Prevalence, distribution, and/or maintenance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes in various aquatic systems such as rivers, lakes, wastewater treatment plants, irrigation waters, drinking water distribution systems, and groundwater.
- Sources and reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes in water environments.
- Mechanisms of environmental dispersal and persistence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes to and from aquatic environments.
- Environmental or ecological conditions favoring the emergence, maintenance, and/or spread of antibiotic resistance in natural and treated waters.
- Epidemiological studies associated with antibiotic resistance in water environments, including methods or tools for characterizing the burden of disease attributable to water-related antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
- Risk assessment methodologies for evaluating the impact of antibiotic resistance on human health, ecosystems, and agriculture.
- Surveillance strategies and testing methods for characterizing the prevalence and abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and health-relevant antibiotic residues in water environments.
- The impact of source water quality and drinking water treatment strategies for selecting and/or removing antibiotic-resistant bacteria or resistance genes from water distribution systems.
- The role of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) factors and/or waterborne disease for facilitating the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes in water environments.
Through a comprehensive understanding of the different aspects associated with antibiotic resistance in water environments, we hope that this Special Issue will contribute to raising awareness among researchers, policymakers, and the general public about this critical issue.
Prof. Dr. Jason W. Marion
Dr. Matthew D. Stocker
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
- antibiotic resistance
- water
- wastewater
- One Health
- antibiotic misuse
- antimicrobial resistance genes
- microbiology
- fecal indicator bacteria
- mobile genetic elements
- resistome
- pollution
- environment
- water bodies
- water treatment
- waterborne disease
- public health
- risk assessment
- sanitation
- hygiene
- aquatic environments
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