Antimicrobial resistance represents a critical threat in food sources, driving the need for comprehensive strategies as resistant bacteria from contaminated vegetables and aquaculture products increasingly infiltrate hospital and community settings.
Environmental contamination significantly contributes to the dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in food sources, especially vegetables irrigated with contaminated water and grown in soils laden with resistance genes, a pathway highlighted in Environmental contamination and AMR in vegetables. Ensuring food safety now involves addressing AMR through interdisciplinary efforts spanning agricultural, veterinary, and environmental sectors. Infectious disease specialists have encountered community-onset infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae harboring extended-spectrum beta-lactamases, tracing back to vegetable contamination. Foodborne pathogens in this context demand robust control measures as multidrug-resistant strains complicate empirical therapy and public health surveillance.
Fish and shellfish contaminated with multidrug-resistant strains pose risks analogous to those from vegetables. Recent registry data underscores that preventive measures in aquaculture can significantly reduce antibiotic use. For instance, Norway achieved a 99% reduction in antibiotic use in aquaculture from 1987 to 2013 through strict oversight and increased vaccination. Strategies such as improved hygiene, targeted vaccination programs, and the incorporation of probiotics into farming systems proved effective in minimizing antibiotic use, as detailed in AMR prevention in aquaculture. Concurrently, adopting improved agricultural practices—including crop rotation and soil management—strengthens farm-level defenses against wastewater contamination, a known vector for resistance gene dissemination in agrifood systems.
This multifaceted challenge underscores the importance of the One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health to foster multisectoral strategies. As noted in the earlier report on integrated aquaculture strategies, One Health in aquaculture exemplifies its application in veterinary medicine by uniting surveillance, stewardship, and environmental remediation efforts. Enacting a robust regulatory framework to limit subtherapeutic antibiotic use in livestock and aquaculture, paired with routine environmental monitoring, offers a blueprint for sustainable AMR control.
Clinicians and public health officials should anticipate evolving resistance patterns from foodborne sources and collaborate with agricultural and veterinary partners to improve assessments of resistance risks, choose initial treatments wisely, and guide policy changes. As access to interdisciplinary strategies expands, new patient groups may benefit from innovative antimicrobial resistance management approaches, such as integrating environmental surveillance data into clinical decisions and developing policies that address both human and environmental health.
Key Takeaways:- Environmental contamination is a crucial driver of AMR in food sources like vegetables and aquaculture.
- Preventive measures in aquaculture offer viable alternatives to antibiotic reliance.
- The One Health approach underscores the need for integrated strategies across human, animal, and environmental health.
- Robust regulatory frameworks and improved agricultural practices are essential to curb the spread of multidrug-resistant strains in food systems.