Antibiotic Resistance in Water Environments and its Impact to Human Health

The extensive antimicrobial overuse, misuse, and its uncontrolled contamination of the environment are turning the antimicrobial resistance phenomenon into a global health issue. Antibiotic-resistant organisms enter water environments from both human and animal sources. These bacteria are able to spread their genes into water-indigenous microbes, which also contain resistance genes. Moreover, several antibiotics from industrial sources spread in water mediums, greatly modifying microbial ecosystems and promoting the prevalence of water-resistant bacteria. Water not only makes a path of dispersal of antibiotic-resistant organisms among human and animal communities since potable water is mainly originated from surface water, but it also acts as a route by which resistance genes are transmitted to natural bacterial ecosystems. The tackling of antimicrobial resistance in water bodies requires implementation of strategies and policies that limit the release of antimicrobial residues into the aquatic environment. Furthermore, it is required appropriate monitoring to minimize antibiotic resistance build-ups which can also facilitate their timely removal and minimize future hazards to human health.
This Research Topic aims to contribute to the understanding of antibiotic resistance mechanisms in water bodies and its impacts in human health. In this collection we welcome studies about the effective control of antimicrobial resistance and current techniques used to trace the source for antibiotic-resistant microbes in water bodies. Additionally, we welcome research efforts contributing to the clarification of antibiotic resistance mechanisms development in water bodies and respective control strategies. This collection also aims to give insight into studies describing techniques developed to track origin of antibiotic resistant genes, the detection of antibiotics in water mediums, the disinfection of water from antibiotic-resistant populations, the elimination of antibiotics from wastewater, as well prevention policies for mixing human–animal-originated and soil–water bacteria.
For this Research Topic we welcome the following specific themes:
1. Antimicrobial resistance in water bodies
2. Antibiotic resistance genes in water bodies
3. Antibiotic resistance in water: pollution, risks, and control
4. Antimicrobial resistance in water: causes and impact
5. Antimicrobial resistance in water and its impact in public health
6. Epidemiology of waterborne diseases caused by antimicrobial resistance
7.Control of antimicrobial resistance emergence and dissemination in water bodies
8. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes in wastewater

Keywords: Drinking Water, Impact on human health, Antibiotic resistance genes, Water Bodies, Human Health and Ecosystem, Antibiotic resistant bacteria

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.