The Complex Interplay Between Antibiotic Resistance and Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in the Environment

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 637 - 652
• Main Authors: Manaia, Célia M, Aga, Diana S, Cytryn, Eddie, Gaze, William H, Graham, David W, Guo, Jianhua, Leonard, Anne F C, Li, Liguan, Murray, Aimee K, Nunes, Olga C, Rodriguez-Mozaz, Sara, Topp, Edward, Zhang, Tong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-03-2024
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Chemical contaminants; Chemical pollution; Consumer products; Contaminants; Drug resistance; Environmental conditions; Evolutionary genetics; Gene transfer; Genes; Health risks; Horizontal transfer; Human influences; Personal grooming; Pharmaceuticals; Pressure effects; Risk assessment; risk assessment; Wastewater; environmental contaminants; horizontal gene transfer
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.5555

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are important environmental contaminants. Nonetheless, what drives the evolution, spread, and transmission of antibiotic resistance dissemination is still poorly understood. The abundance of ARB and ARGs is often elevated in human-impacted areas, especially in environments receiving fecal wastes, or in the presence of complex mixtures of chemical contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Self-replication, mutation, horizontal gene transfer, and adaptation to different environmental conditions contribute to the persistence and proliferation of ARB in habitats under strong anthropogenic influence. Our review discusses the interplay between chemical contaminants and ARB and their respective genes, specifically in reference to co-occurrence, potential biostimulation, and selective pressure effects, and gives an overview of mitigation by existing man-made and natural barriers. Evidence and strategies to improve the assessment of human health risks due to environmental antibiotic resistance are also discussed. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:637-652. © 2022 SETAC.