Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widely recognised as a majorglobal threat, with health and economic consequences extending acrossand overlapping with human, animal, and environmental systems [1].Perhaps the best example of a One Health challenge, the so-called AMR“silent pandemic” is a complex problem driven by anthropogenic activities, which must be tackled across the three realms [2]. Efforts toaddress AMR have historically focused on clinical and agricultural settings, however, there is increasing recognition that environmentalpathways play a critical role in the emergence, persistence, anddissemination of antimicrobial resistant organisms (AROs) and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) [3,4]. Aquatic environments are ofparticular importance as they receive inputs from diverse anthropogenicsources, including wastewater, agricultural runoff, and industrial discharges, thus creating conditions that support the selection of AROs andhorizontal transmission of ARGs [5]. Compounding this, aquatic systemsalso connect human, animal, and environmental compartments, facilitating the movement of resistant organisms across ecological boundaries[6]. As such, a global strategic priority is understanding the role ofaquatic environments, which is central to developing effective and integrated One Health responses to AMR [1]. The objective of this SpecialIssue of One Health is to advance our understanding of AMR in aquaticsystems and identify key methodological and conceptual gaps.

Keywords

Antimicrobial resistance, aquatic environments, Ecology, clinical resistance, surveillance

Publication Date

2026-01-01

Publication Title

One Health

Volume

22

Deposit Date

2026-07-01

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