The potential of using E. coli as an indicator for the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment

• Published in: Current opinion in microbiology Vol. 64; pp. 152 - 158
• Main Authors: Anjum, Muna F, Schmitt, Heike, Börjesson, Stefan, Berendonk, Thomas U, Donner, Erica, Stehling, Eliana Guedes, Boerlin, Patrick, Topp, Edward, Jardine, Claire, Li, Xuewen, Li, Bing, Dolejska, Monika, Madec, Jean-Yves, Dagot, Christophe, Guenther, Sebastian, Walsh, Fiona, Villa, Laura, Veldman, Kees, Sunde, Marianne, Krzeminski, Pawel, Wasyl, Dariusz, Popowska, Magdalena, Järhult, Josef, Örn, Stefan, Mahjoub, Olfa, Mansour, Wejdene, Thái, Đinh Nho, Elving, Josefine, Pedersen, Karl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibiotic resistance; Bacteriology; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli Infections - veterinary; human health; Humans; Life Sciences; livestock; microbiology; Microbiology and Parasitology; wildlife
• ISSN: 1369-5274; 1879-0364; 1879-0364; 1369-5274
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.09.011

•There is an urgent need for environmental Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) monitoring.•E. coli are part of established human and livestock AMR surveillance programs.•E. coli are used as indicators of anthropogenic impact on the environment.•Verified methods for isolation and characterization of E. coli are available.•Reference laboratories can easily implement E. coli in AMR environmental monitoring. To understand the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), in a One-Health perspective, surveillance play an important role. Monitoring systems already exist in the human health and livestock sectors, but there are no environmental monitoring programs. Therefore there is an urgent need to initiate environmental AMR monitoring programs nationally and globally, which will complement existing systems in different sectors. However, environmental programs should not only identify anthropogenic influences and levels of AMR, but they should also allow for identification of transmissions to and from human and animal populations. In the current review we therefore propose using antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli as indicators for monitoring occurrence and levels of AMR in the environment, including wildlife.