Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment: Towards Elucidating the Roles of Bioaerosols in Transmission and Detection of Antibacterial Resistance Genes
Paul B. L. George, Florent Rossi, Magali-Wen St–Germain, Pierre Amato, Thierry Badard, Michel G. Bergeron, Maurice Boissinot, Steve J. Charette, Brenda L. Coleman, Jacques Corbeil, Alexander I. Culley, Marie‐Lou Gaucher, Matthieu Girard, Stéphane Godbout, Shelley Kirychuk, André Marette, Allison McGeer, Patrick T. O’Shaughnessy, E. Jane Parmley, Serge Simard, Richard J. Reid‐Smith, Edward Topp, Luc Trudel, Maosheng Yao, Patrick Brassard, Anne‐Marie Delort, Araceli D. Larios, Valérie Létourneau, Valérie E. Paquet, Marie-Hélène Pedneau, Émilie Pic, Brooke Thompson, Marc Veillette, Mary Thaler, Ilaria Scapino, Maria Lebeuf, Mahsa Baghdadi, Alejandra Castillo Toro, Amélia Bélanger Cayouette, Marie-Julie Dubois, Alicia F. Durocher, Sarah B. Girard, Andrea Katherín Carranza Diaz, Asmaâ Khalloufi, Samantha Leclerc, Joanie Lemieux, Manuel Pérez Maldonado, Geneviève Pilon, Colleen Murphy, Charly A. Notling, Daniel Ofori-Darko, Juliette Provencher, Annabelle Richer-Fortin, Nathalie Turgeon, Caroline Duchaine
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is continuing to grow across the world. Though often thought of as a mostly public health issue, AMR is also a major agricultural and environmental problem. As such, many researchers refer to it as the preeminent One Health issue. Aerial transport of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria via bioaerosols is still poorly understood. Recent work has highlighted the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in bioaerosols. Emissions of AMR bacteria and genes have been detected from various sources, including wastewater treatment plants, hospitals, and agricultural practices; however, their impacts on the broader environment are poorly understood. Contextualizing the roles of bioaerosols in the dissemination of AMR necessitates a multidisciplinary approach. Environmental factors, industrial and medical practices, as well as ecological principles influence the aerial dissemination of resistant bacteria. This article introduces an ongoing project assessing the presence and fate of AMR in bioaerosols across Canada. Its various sub-studies include the assessment of the emissions of antibiotic resistance genes from many agricultural practices, their long-distance transport, new integrative methods of assessment, and the creation of dissemination models over short and long distances. Results from sub-studies are beginning to be published. Consequently, this paper explains the background behind the development of the various sub-studies and highlight their shared aspects.