Antibiotic Pollution in the Environment: From Microbial Ecology to Public Policy

Overview

Journal Microorganisms

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2019 Jun 26

PMID 31234491

Citations 210

Authors

Susanne A Kraemer

Arthi Ramachandran

Gabriel G Perron

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The ability to fight bacterial infections with antibiotics has been a longstanding cornerstone of modern medicine. However, wide-spread overuse and misuse of antibiotics has led to unintended consequences, which in turn require large-scale changes of policy for mitigation. In this review, we address two broad classes of corollaries of antibiotics overuse and misuse. Firstly, we discuss the spread of antibiotic resistance from hotspots of resistance evolution to the environment, with special concerns given to potential vectors of resistance transmission. Secondly, we outline the effects of antibiotic pollution independent of resistance evolution on natural microbial populations, as well as invertebrates and vertebrates. We close with an overview of current regional policies tasked with curbing the effects of antibiotics pollution and outline areas in which such policies are still under development.

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