Article Sidebar

Published
December 8, 2024
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 634 Download : 361

Main Article Content

Abstract

In light of growing concerns about the spread of antibiotic resistance and its consequences for public health,
this review article deeply examines the intricate relationship between wastewater contamination and the
appearance and spread of antibiotic resistance. Water that has been used and contaminated by different
human activities, such as household, industrial, health institutions, and agricultural processes, is referred to
as wastewater, which is usually released into the environment and can cause several diseases, including the
spreading of antibiotic resistance which is a threat to public health. Antibiotics have been a crucial
discovery, saving millions from infectious diseases. On the other hand, their misuse spawn’s antibiotic
resistance (AR), an enormous threat to global health. This review examines wastewater's important role in
supporting AR, underlining how it affects pathogen development and the spread of resistance globally.
Wastewater acts as a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARBs) and resistance genes (ARGs),
causing health concerns to humans and animals. Human actions in several sources, such as hospitals and
agriculture, increase the spread of ARBs and ARGs. Wastewater is released into surface waterways,
contaminating irrigation systems and household water. Agricultural products are essential for humans, but
now agriculture is a standard route for AR transmission.
Furthermore, the review highlighted groundwater and surface water contamination by residual antibiotics.
The linked cycle of antibiotic resistance from agriculture to humans and animals shows the need for
comprehensive measures. In summary, the review highlights the severe problems of antibiotic resistance
(AR) in wastewater and calls for vigilante action against the misuse of antibiotics to maintain antibiotics'
long-term effectiveness in maintaining world health.

Keywords

Wastewater Antibiotic Resistance Antibiotic Household Water water pollution

Article Details

License

Copyright (c) 2024 University of Thi-Qar Journal Of Medicine

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

References

  1. Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Salam MT, Pawar JS, Akhter N, Rabaan AA, et al. Antimicrobial
  2. resistance: A growing serious threat for global public health. Healthcare. 2023 Jul;11(13):1946.
  3. Kim DW, Cha CJ. Antibiotic resistome from the One-Health perspective: Understanding and
  4. controlling antimicrobial resistance transmission. Experimental & Molecular Medicine.
  5. ;53(3):301-309.
  6. Davis BC, Brown C, Gupta S, Calarco J, Liguori K, Milligan E, et al. Recommendations for
  7. the use of metagenomics for routine monitoring of antibiotic resistance in wastewater and impacted
  8. aquatic environments. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2023;1-26.
  9. Obotey Ezugbe E, Rathilal S. Membrane technologies in wastewater treatment: a review.
  10. Membranes. 2020 Apr 30;10(5):89.
  11. Hanna N, Tamhankar AJ, Lundborg CS. Antibiotic concentrations and antibiotic resistance in
  12. aquatic environments of the WHO Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions: a systematic review
  13. and probabilistic environmental hazard assessment. The Lancet Planetary Health. 2023;7(1):e45-e54.
  14. McCorquodale-Bauer K, Grosshans R, Zvomuya F, Cicek N. Critical review of
  15. phytoremediation for the removal of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater. Science
  16. of The Total Environment. 2023;870:161876.
  17. Manaia CM, Rocha J, Scaccia N, Marano R, Radu E, Biancullo F, et al. Antibiotic resistance
  18. in wastewater treatment plants: Tackling the black box. Environment international. 2018;115:312-324.
  19. Kaur R, Yadav B, Tyagi RD. Microbiology of hospital wastewater. In: Current developments
  20. in Biotechnology and bioengineering. Elsevier; 2020 Jan 1. pp. 103-148.
  21. Dodd MC. Potential impacts of disinfection processes on elimination and deactivation of
  22. antibiotic resistance genes during water and wastewater treatment. Journal of Environmental
  23. Monitoring. 2012;14(7):1754-1771.
  24. Ahmad N, Joji RM, Shahid M. Evolution and implementation of One health to control the
  25. dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes: A review. Frontiers in Cellular and
  26. Infection Microbiology. 2023;12:1065796.
  27. Droste RL, Gehr RL. Theory and practice of water and wastewater treatment. John Wiley &
  28. Sons; 2018 Sep 12.
  29. Ramírez-Coronel AA, Mohammadi MJ, Majdi HS, Zabibah RS, Taherian M, Prasetio DB, et
  30. al. Hospital wastewater treatment methods and its impact on human health and environments. Reviews
  31. on Environmental Health. 2023;(0).
  32. Zhang S, Huang J, Zhao Z, Cao Y, Li B. Hospital wastewater as a reservoir for antibiotic
  33. resistance genes: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health. 2020;8:574968.
  34. Aggarwal R, Mahajan P, Pandiya S, Bajaj A, Verma SK, Yadav P, et al. Antibiotic resistance: a
  35. global crisis, problems and solutions. Critical Reviews in Microbiology. 2024;1-26.
  36. Hazra M, Watts JE, Williams JB, Joshi H. An evaluation of conventional and nature-based
  37. technologies for controlling antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes in wastewater
  38. treatment plants. Science of The Total Environment. 2024;170433.
  39. Tiwari A, Krolicka A, Tran TT, Räisänen K, Ásmundsdóttir ÁM, Wikmark OG, et al. Antibiotic
  40. resistance monitoring in wastewater in the Nordic countries: A systematic review. Environmental
  41. Research. 2024;246:118052.
  42. Villanueva P, Coffin SE, Mekasha A, McMullan B, Cotton MF, Bryant PA. Comparison of
  43. antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control activities and resources between low
  44. /middle-and high-income countries. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2022;41(3S):S3-S9.
  45. Hashempour-Baltork F, Hosseini H, Shojaee-Aliabadi S, Torbati M, Alizadeh AM, Alizadeh
  46. M. Drug resistance and the prevention strategies in food borne bacteria: An update review. Advanced
  47. pharmaceutical bulletin. 2019;9(3):335.
  48. Halawa EM, Fadel M, Al-Rabia MW, Abdo M, Atwa AM, Abdeen A. Antibiotic action and
  49. resistance: updated review of mechanisms, spread, influencing factors, and alternative approaches for
  50. combating resistance. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2024;14:1305294.
  51. Rzymski P, Gwenzi W, Poniedziałek B, Mangul S, Fal A. Climate warming, environmental
  52. degradation and pollution as drivers of antibiotic resistance. Environmental Pollution. 2024;123649.
  53. Aslam B, Khurshid MI, Arshad MI, Muzammil S, Rasool M, Yasmeen N, et al. Antibiotic
  54. resistance: one health one world outlook. Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology.
  55. ;11:771510.
  56. Cella E, Giovanetti M, Benedetti F, Scarpa F, Johnston C, Borsetti A, et al. Joining forces
  57. against antibiotic resistance: The one health solution. Pathogens. 2023;12(9):1074.
  58. Muteeb G, Rehman MT, Shahwan M, Aatif M. Origin of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance,
  59. and their impacts on drug development: A narrative review. Pharmaceuticals. 2023;16(11):1615.
  60. Su Y, Gao R, Huang F, Liang B, Guo J, Fan L, et al. Occurrence, transmission and risks
  61. assessment of pathogens in aquatic environments accessible to humans. Journal of Environmental
  62. Management. 2024;354:120331.
  63. El-Feky AMA, Saber M, Abd-el-Kader MM, Kantoush SA, Sumi T, Alfaisal F, et al.
  64. Comprehensive environmental impact assessment and irrigation wastewater suitability of the Arab El
  65. Madabegh wastewater treatment plant, ASSIUT CITY, EGYPT. Plos one. 2024;19(2):e0297556.
  66. Falkenberg T, Saxena D, Kistemann T. Impact of wastewater-irrigation on in-household water
  67. contamination. A cohort study among urban farmers in Ahmedabad, India. Science of the Total
  68. Environment. 2018;639:988-996.
  69. Baquero F, Martínez JL, Cantón R. Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in water environments.
  70. Current opinion in biotechnology. 2008;19(3):260-265.
  71. Barathe P, Kaur K, Reddy S, Shriram V, Kumar V. Antibiotic Pollution and Associated
  72. Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment. Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters. 2024;100105.
  73. Svardal K, Kroiss H. Energy requirements for waste water treatment. Water Science and
  74. Technology. 2011 Sep 1;64(6):1355-61.
  75. Sambaza SS, Naicker N. Contribution of wastewater to Antimicrobial Resistance-A Review
  76. article. Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance. 2023.
  77. Rahman M, Alam MU, Luies SK, Kamal A, Ferdous S, Lin A, et al. Contamination of fresh
  78. produce with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and associated risks to human health: A scoping review.
  79. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022;19(1):360.
  80. Asfaw T, Genetu D, Shenkute D, Shenkutie TT, Yitayew B. Commonly Consumed Vegetables
  81. as a Potential Source of Multidrug-Resistant and β-Lactamase-Producing Bacteria in Debre Berhan
  82. Town, Ethiopia. Infection and Drug Resistance. 2023;3693-3705.
  83. Nnadozie CF, Odume ON. Freshwater environments as reservoirs of antibiotic resistant
  84. bacteria and their role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. Environmental pollution.
  85. ;254:113067.
  86. Crini G, Lichtfouse E. Advantages and disadvantages of techniques used for wastewater
  87. treatment. Environmental chemistry letters. 2019 Mar 1;17:145-55.
  88. Uluseker C, Kaster KM, Thorsen K, Basiry D, Shobana S, Jain M, et al. A review on occurrence
  89. and spread of antibiotic resistance in wastewaters and in wastewater treatment plants: mechanisms and
  90. perspectives. Frontiers in microbiology. 2021;12:717809.
  91. Bengtsson B, Greko C. Antibiotic resistance—consequences for animal health, welfare, and
  92. food production. Upsala journal of medical sciences. 2014;119(2):96-102.
  93. Von Sperling M. Wastewater characteristics, treatment and disposal. IWA publishing; 2007.
  94. Wu J, Wang J, Li Z, Guo S, Li K, Xu P, et al. Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in
  95. agricultural soils: A systematic analysis. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology.
  96. ;53(7):847-864.
  97. Rathinavelu S, Uluseker C, Sonkar V, Thatikonda S, Nambi IM, Kreft JU. Mapping the scarcity
  98. of data on antibiotics in natural and engineered water environments across India. Frontiers in
  99. Antibiotics. 2024;3:1337261.
  100. Samrot AV, Wilson S, Sanjay Preeth RS, Prakash P, Sathiyasree M, Saigeetha S, et al. Sources
  101. of Antibiotic Contamination in Wastewater and Approaches to Their Removal—An Overview.
  102. Sustainability. 2023;15(16):12639.
  103. Anand U, Reddy B, Singh VK, Singh AK, Kesari KK, Tripathi P, et al. Potential environmental
  104. and human health risks caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), antibiotic resistance genes
  105. (ARGs) and emerging contaminants (ECs) from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill. Antibiotics.
  106. ;10(4):374.
  107. Pauwels B, Verstraete W. The treatment of hospital wastewater: an appraisal. Journal of water
  108. and health. 2006 Dec 1;4(4):405-16.
  109. Baquero F, Martínez JL, Cantón R. Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in water environments.
  110. Current opinion in biotechnology. 2008;19(3):260-265.
  111. Henze M, Comeau Y. Wastewater characterization. Biological wastewater treatment: Principles
  112. modelling and design. 2008;27.
  113. Nnadozie CF, Odume ON. Freshwater environments as reservoirs of antibiotic resistant
  114. bacteria and their role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. Environmental pollution.
  115. ;254:113067.
  116. Kumari A, Maurya NS, Tiwari B. Hospital wastewater treatment scenario around the globe.
  117. Curr Dev Biotechnol Bioeng. 2020. pp. 549–570.
  118. Majumder A, Gupta AK, Ghosal PS, Varma M. A review on hospital wastewater treatment: A
  119. special emphasis on occurrence and removal of pharmaceutically active compounds, resistant
  120. microorganisms, and SARS-CoV-2. J Environ Chem Eng. 2021 Apr;9(2):104812.
  121. Xu L, et al. Public Health Risks Associated with Pathogens in Hospital Wastewater: A
  122. Systematic Review. Water Research. 2023;221:117079.
  123. Gao Y, et al. Environmental Impacts of Hospital Wastewater: A Review. Journal of
  124. Environmental Management. 2022;301:113672.
  125. Itzhari D, Ronen Z. The Emergence of Antibiotics Resistance Genes, Bacteria, and
  126. Micropollutants in Grey Wastewater. Applied Sciences. 2023;13(4):2322.
  127. Li S, Ondon BS, Ho SH, Zhou Q, Li F. Drinking water sources as hotspots of antibiotic
  128. resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs): Occurrence, spread, and mitigation
  129. strategies. Journal of Water Process Engineering. 2023;53:103907.
  130. Bansal OP. A review on antibiotics in the environment, resistance in microbes, impact on
  131. human health and treatment and future strategies for tackling the global problem
  132. Al Hamedi FH, Kandhan K, Liu Y, Ren M, Jaleel A, Alyafei MAM. Wastewater Irrigation: A
  133. Promising Way for Future Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in the United Arab Emirates.
  134. Water. 2023;15(12):2284.
  135. Tiedje JM, Fu Y, Mei Z, Schäffer A, Dou Q, Amelung W, et al. Antibiotic resistance genes in
  136. food production systems support One Health opinions. Current Opinion in Environmental Science &
  137. Health. 2023;100492.

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)