Environment and Life Science Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Shuwaikh 13109, Kuwait.
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Jabriya 13060, Kuwait.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jul 27;21(8):983. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21080983.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a conspicuous global public health threat. The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the "One-Health" approach, which encourages the assessment of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) within an environment to constrain and alleviate the development of AMR. The prolonged use and overuse of antibiotics in treating human and veterinary illnesses, and the inability of wastewater treatment plants to remove them have resulted in elevated concentrations of these metabolites in the surroundings. Microbes residing within these settings acquire resistance under selective pressure and circulate between the air-land interface. Initial evidence on the indoor environments of wastewater treatment plants, hospitals, and livestock-rearing facilities as channels of AMR has been documented. Long- and short-range transport in a downwind direction disseminate aerosols within urban communities. Inhalation of such aerosols poses a considerable occupational and public health risk. The horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is another plausible route of AMR spread. The characterization of ARGs in the atmosphere therefore calls for cutting-edge research. In the present review, we provide a succinct summary of the studies that demonstrated aerosols as a media of AMR transport in the atmosphere, strengthening the need to biomonitor these pernicious pollutants. This review will be a useful resource for environmental researchers, healthcare practitioners, and policymakers to issue related health advisories.
抗微生物药物耐药性（AMR）已成为一个明显的全球公共卫生威胁。世界卫生组织（WHO）已经启动了“同一健康”方法，鼓励在环境中评估抗生素耐药基因（ARGs），以限制和减轻 AMR 的发展。人类和兽医疾病治疗中抗生素的长期和过度使用，以及废水处理厂无法去除它们，导致这些代谢物在周围环境中的浓度升高。在这些环境中生存的微生物在选择性压力下获得耐药性，并在空气-土地界面之间循环。已经有证据表明，废水处理厂、医院和牲畜饲养设施的室内环境是 AMR 的传播途径。顺风方向的长程和短程传输会在城市社区内传播气溶胶。吸入这些气溶胶会对职业和公众健康造成相当大的风险。水平基因转移（HGT）是 AMR 传播的另一种可能途径。因此，大气中 ARGs 的特征需要进行前沿研究。在本综述中，我们简要总结了表明气溶胶作为 AMR 在大气中传播的媒介的研究，这加强了对这些有害污染物进行生物监测的必要性。本综述将为环境研究人员、医疗保健从业者和政策制定者提供有用的资源，以发布相关健康建议。
