Antimicrobial Resistance in Environmental Waters
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2018) | Viewed by 98430
Special Issue Editors
Interests: water quality; pathogens and indicators; antimicrobial resistance; harmful algal blooms; emerging contaminants; environmental modelling; fate and transport processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: antimicrobial resistance; microbial water quality; pathogens; microbiomes; resistomes; wastewater; urban water cycle
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent years, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has drawn heightened global concern because of the severe ramifications on the treatment of microbial infections. In particular, the issue of antibiotic resistance arises due to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both developed and developing countries. Bacteria develop antibiotic resistance in the presence of residual levels of antibiotics and these antibiotic resistant bacteria in turn, are able to spread their resistance to other bacteria through mechanisms such as horizontal gene transfer, mediated by mobile genetic elements (e.g. plasmids, integrons) or co-selecting agents such as biocides and toxic metals. There is a worrying trend that pathogens are developing antibiotic resistance to a degree where last resort antibiotics are no longer effective. This, in turn, has severe implications on public health and healthcare costs.
In an effort to better understand the rising levels of antimicrobial resistance, surveillance studies have been undertaken across countries in a common effort to explore the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in both clinical and natural environments. Implementating such initiatives through assessing the types of antibiotics used, antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) present and associated antibiotic resistant genes (ARG) in microbiomes enables better understanding of the impact of antibiotics in the medical, agriculture and aquaculture industries. Aquatic environments harbor diverse freshwater bacterial communities which may be subjected to anthropogenic pressures, while domestic wastewaters receive direct loads of antibiotics and pathogenic bacteria from human excretion. The nature of these environments allows them to function as hotspots for resistance through the selection of ARB and circulation of ARG through stimulation of horizontal gene transfer between members of the microbiome.
The aims of this Special Issue are to present current trends in antimicrobial/antibiotic resistance in diverse environmental waters, ranging from the detection and occurrence of antimicrobial factors (e.g. antimicrobials, antibiotics, ARB, ARG) to their fate and transformations in different environments such as surface waters, groundwaters, biofilms and water and wastewater treatment processes. Such knowledge would be needed to assist in the management and control of antimicrobial/antibiotic resistance and ultimately, the protection of public health.
Prof. Dr. Karina Yew-Hoong Gin
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. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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
-
Antimicrobial resistance
-
Antibiotic resistance
-
Antibiotics
-
Antimicrobials
-
Antibiotic resistant bacteria
-
Antibiotic resistant genes
-
Resistome
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.