G S K Zackariah, Louis A Tremblay, Zhaojun Li, Barry Palmer, Xiayan Liu, Shuxian An, Rognsheng Zhu, Jiancai Wang, Maneh Komlanvi Jacob, Yohannes Kebede, Okbagaber Andom, Abbas Dilawar
{"title":"Antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes in agri-foods: A global review of the consumption risks to human health.","authors":"G S K Zackariah, Louis A Tremblay, Zhaojun Li, Barry Palmer, Xiayan Liu, Shuxian An, Rognsheng Zhu, Jiancai Wang, Maneh Komlanvi Jacob, Yohannes Kebede, Okbagaber Andom, Abbas Dilawar","doi":"10.1093/inteam/vjaf084","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antibiotics have reduced disease burdens in humans and animals, but the development of resistant microbes in agricultural products poses a risk. The long-term impacts of antibiotics in agri-foods remain poorly understood, making it difficult to assess their risks to human and animal health. Current research suggests that most antibiotic contamination in the agri-food chain poses negligible risks, based on assessments of measured environmental concentrations (MECs), predicted environmental concentration (PEC)/Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) ratios (MEC/PNEC<0.1), toxic units (TU = MECs/EC50 <0.01), and summed risk quotients (STUs<0.3), but hotspots and unknowns need attention. To verify existing findings, we reviewed literature from Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect (n = 281,865), excluded duplicates (n = 272,085) and irrelevant studies (n = 9,516) based on predefined criteria (relevance, Impact Factor, citations), retaining 264 articles for analysis through a One Health approach. Although AMR critically disrupts gut microbiota and increases global health/economic burdens, long-term studies frequently overlook key foodborne pathogens: Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This review provides new perspectives on the integration of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within a One Health Concept by: 1) summarizing current knowledge on the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARGs) in agri-food systems and their health and environmental human impacts, and 2) identifying critical research gaps, particularly in understanding post-ingestion effects. A major finding of this review is that while there is documented transmission of antibiotic residues, ARBs, and ARGs to humans via the food-chain, their actual impacts on gut-acquired infections remain largely unknown. Given the accelerating pace of AMR, delaying targeted research within the One Health framework is no longer an option. Immediate, coordinated action across agriculture, policy, and science is critical to close these knowledge gaps, disrupt resistance pathways, and safeguard the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems before AMR escalates beyond control.</p>","PeriodicalId":13557,"journal":{"name":"Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/inteam/vjaf084","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Antibiotics have reduced disease burdens in humans and animals, but the development of resistant microbes in agricultural products poses a risk. The long-term impacts of antibiotics in agri-foods remain poorly understood, making it difficult to assess their risks to human and animal health. Current research suggests that most antibiotic contamination in the agri-food chain poses negligible risks, based on assessments of measured environmental concentrations (MECs), predicted environmental concentration (PEC)/Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) ratios (MEC/PNEC<0.1), toxic units (TU = MECs/EC50 <0.01), and summed risk quotients (STUs<0.3), but hotspots and unknowns need attention. To verify existing findings, we reviewed literature from Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect (n = 281,865), excluded duplicates (n = 272,085) and irrelevant studies (n = 9,516) based on predefined criteria (relevance, Impact Factor, citations), retaining 264 articles for analysis through a One Health approach. Although AMR critically disrupts gut microbiota and increases global health/economic burdens, long-term studies frequently overlook key foodborne pathogens: Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This review provides new perspectives on the integration of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within a One Health Concept by: 1) summarizing current knowledge on the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARGs) in agri-food systems and their health and environmental human impacts, and 2) identifying critical research gaps, particularly in understanding post-ingestion effects. A major finding of this review is that while there is documented transmission of antibiotic residues, ARBs, and ARGs to humans via the food-chain, their actual impacts on gut-acquired infections remain largely unknown. Given the accelerating pace of AMR, delaying targeted research within the One Health framework is no longer an option. Immediate, coordinated action across agriculture, policy, and science is critical to close these knowledge gaps, disrupt resistance pathways, and safeguard the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems before AMR escalates beyond control.
期刊介绍:
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (IEAM) publishes the science underpinning environmental decision making and problem solving. Papers submitted to IEAM must link science and technical innovations to vexing regional or global environmental issues in one or more of the following core areas:
Science-informed regulation, policy, and decision making
Health and ecological risk and impact assessment
Restoration and management of damaged ecosystems
Sustaining ecosystems
Managing large-scale environmental change
Papers published in these broad fields of study are connected by an array of interdisciplinary engineering, management, and scientific themes, which collectively reflect the interconnectedness of the scientific, social, and environmental challenges facing our modern global society:
Methods for environmental quality assessment; forecasting across a number of ecosystem uses and challenges (systems-based, cost-benefit, ecosystem services, etc.); measuring or predicting ecosystem change and adaptation
Approaches that connect policy and management tools; harmonize national and international environmental regulation; merge human well-being with ecological management; develop and sustain the function of ecosystems; conceptualize, model and apply concepts of spatial and regional sustainability
Assessment and management frameworks that incorporate conservation, life cycle, restoration, and sustainability; considerations for climate-induced adaptation, change and consequences, and vulnerability
Environmental management applications using risk-based approaches; considerations for protecting and fostering biodiversity, as well as enhancement or protection of ecosystem services and resiliency.