Antimicrobial and Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment

Dear Colleagues,

Global dissemination of multidrug-resistant bacterial species to last-resource antibiotics and associated human and animal infections is a major concern, and expected to rise in the future. However, the role of natural environments in antimicrobials accumulation and resistance development and dissemination has been overlooked until recently. Monitoring environmental resistance is extremely relevant for the safeguarding of One Health, especially in settings which are highly subjected to anthropogenic contamination, as resistance dispersion in the environment may allow for the inference of the extent of selective pressure due to the use of antimicrobials in humans and animals. In fact, antimicrobial compounds residues and resistant strains originating from agriculture, animal and human wastes, or even from wild animals, can disseminate through the environment, especially through groundwaters, entering habitats in which no antimicrobials are directly administered to animals or humans. Besides being associated with the selective pressure posed by antimicrobial residues, resistance dissemination in the environment can also be triggered by the increase in environmental temperature, which is one of the major consequences of climate change. In fact, most bacteria may easily adapt to an environmental temperature rise, promoting the dissemination of resistant determinants between humans, animals and the environment.

Characterizing environmental-resistant strains represents a potential aid for surveillance and management programs aiming to unveil AMR evolution mechanisms and dissemination routes in natural environments, as well as assessing possible consequences for human and animal health. This Special Issue aims to publish manuscripts that contribute to our understanding of the impact of antimicrobials and bacterial antimicrobial resistance in environmental health.

Dr. Manuela Oliveira
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.