Antibiotic pollution: The forerunner of global health catastrophe?

Abstract

AbstractThe rapid enhancement in the emergence of resistant bacteria occurring globally has endangered the efficacy of the conventional antibiotics causing threat to human at a large extent. Traces of antimicrobial drugs and their metabolites in various natural environments have resulted in enhancement of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among the natural flora and fauna of the water resources. Contamination of the environment with antimicrobials encourages the bacteria to evolve ways to acquire competence which may result in the conversion of antibiotic susceptible strains to resistant bacteria. The spread of AMR varies from planktonic to sessile forms of the bacterial species by cross resistance or horizontal gene transfer resulting in blooming populations that would otherwise can be kept in check. This has created a tremendous threat to human health due to the enhancement in the resistance of microorganisms and other microbes to various types of antimicrobial drugs. Rampant use of antibiotics and improper detection of antibiotics from the sewages of the factories has resulted in the enhancement of concentration of antibiotics in the environment. This has resulted in the enhancement of death due to the persistence of such infections those cannot be treated with the conventional drugs causing a global health crisis. Hence, mitigation of this problem is of utmost importance to save lives of human beings and animals. This has forced to find out some alternate way on an urgent basis for risk management including adoption of stringent guidelines for surveillance and monitoring of these industries and development of policies are warranted to develop policies on checking antibiotic pollution as a “One Health Approach”.