The One Health Action Plan Against Antimicrobial Resistance

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotics Use and Antimicrobial Stewardship".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1845

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze della salute (DISSAL), Università degli Studi di Genova, 16126 Genova, GE, Italy
Interests: healthcare environment; emerging pathogens; healthcare-associated infections; antimicrobial resistance; infection prevention and control
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antibiotic resistance is recognized as a major public health problem in Europe and worldwide. Because antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and resistance genes circulate within and between ecosystems, prevention and control of antibiotic resistance requires integrated actions at the human–animal–environment interface. In 2015, the WHO Member States unanimously endorsed a Global Plan of Action to address antimicrobial resistance, and the WHO called on all countries to take concerted action across all sectors of human activity, with a One Health approach, bringing together stakeholders from relevant sectors to communicate and work together in the design, implementation, and monitoring of programs, policies, legislation, and research to mitigate AMR and achieve better health and economic outcomes.

The actions envisaged in the European One Health action plan include incentives to consider the environment as a factor that can contribute to the spread of AMR and guidance aimed at filling knowledge gaps on antimicrobial resistance in the environment.

Furthermore, evidence suggests that changes occurring in the natural environment due to the climate crisis are increasing the spread of infectious disease.

An increase in extreme weather events and natural disasters such as storms, heatwaves, hurricanes, typhoons, floods, and forest fires can cause population displacement, which can facilitate the spread of drug-resistant infections and disease. In addition, increased prevalence of disease could result in an increase in the improper use of antimicrobial drugs, which could further exacerbate antimicrobial resistance.

By uniting findings from a variety of fields, including human and veterinary medicine, ecology, and others, it is possible to gain an overview of how antibiotic resistance develops and spreads, thus bringing together knowledge from different areas to attempt to control it.

This Special Issue seeks research papers on various aspects related to the spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and resistance genes in a healthcare setting, the veterinary field, and the environment; food contamination; surveillance, prevention, and control of infections; appropriate use and surveillance of antibiotic consumption use in human and veterinary settings; and climate change and antibiotic resistance.

We encourage the submission of interdisciplinary work and multi-country collaborative research. We welcome original research papers using different study designs as well as literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.

Dr. Anna Maria Spagnolo
Guest Editor

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

  • one health approach
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • healthcare-associated infections
  • food contamination
  • environment and antibiotic resistance
  • surveillance
  • prevention and control

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

20 pages, 878 KiB  
Review
Challenges and Current Trends in Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance in EU Water Law Context
by Justyna Rogowska, Grażyna Gałęzowska and Agnieszka Zimmermann
Antibiotics 2025, 14(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14010018 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1320
Abstract
The increasing consumption of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, and their improper disposal have resulted in both pharmaceuticals and their metabolites being released into the environment, where they pose a risk to both ecosystems and human health. One of the most serious threats to public [...] Read more.
The increasing consumption of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, and their improper disposal have resulted in both pharmaceuticals and their metabolites being released into the environment, where they pose a risk to both ecosystems and human health. One of the most serious threats to public health associated with the presence of antibiotics in the environment is antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In order to combat AMR, the legal aspect of water protection becomes a critical area of action. This article analyzes the current challenges and legislative developments in the European Union (EU) aimed at mitigating pharmaceutical contamination in aquatic environments, particularly with regard to AMR. It traces the evolution of EU water protection policies from the initial surface and groundwater directives to the recent updates of the Water Framework Directive, Groundwater Directive and Environmental Quality Standards Directive, focusing on the integration of pharmaceutical contaminants into the regulatory framework. In addition, these changes include the update of the Watch List system for monitoring emerging contaminants, the adoption of effects-based methods (EBMs) in the assessment of water status and the streamlining of the legislative process to respond more quickly to emerging threats in the aquatic environment. The EU’s strategic approach to pharmaceuticals in the environment is emphasized as a key framework for harmonizing the environmental standards and addressing the problem of AMR through more sustainable pharmaceutical practices. This study advocates for a proactive, integrated approach to water policy that aligns regulatory actions with scientific advancements to protect public health and ecosystem integrity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The One Health Action Plan Against Antimicrobial Resistance)
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