Antibiotic Resistance in Minimally Human-Impacted Environments

• Published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Main Authors: Laura C. Scott, Nicholas Lee, Tiong Gim Aw
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2020
• Subjects: antibiotic resistance; environment; anthropogenic activity; methodology; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17113939

Antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) have become contaminants of concern in environmental systems. Studies investigating environmental ARB have primarily focused on environments that are greatly impacted by anthropogenic activity. Background concentrations of ARB in natural environments is not well understood. This review summarizes the current literature on the monitoring of ARB and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in environments less impacted by human activity. Both ARB and ARGs have been detected on the Antarctic continent, on isolated glaciers, and in remote alpine environments. The methods for detecting and quantifying ARB and ARGs from the environment are not standardized and warrant optimization. Further research should be focused on the detection and quantification of ARB and ARGs along human gradients to better characterize the factors leading to their dissemination in remote environments.