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Updated: May 31, 2025

Screening Foodstuffs for Class 1 Integrons and Gene Cassettes
Published on: June 19, 2015
Co-selection for antibiotic resistance by environmental contaminants
Laura May Murray1, April Hayes1, Jason Snape2
1European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Environment and Sustainability Institute, Penryn, Cornwall, UK.
Abstract:
The environment is increasingly recognised as a hotspot for the selection and dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. These can be selected for by antibiotics and non-antibiotic agents (such as metals and biocides), with the evidence to support this well established by observational and experimental studies. However, there is emerging evidence to suggest that plant protection products (such as herbicides), and non-antibiotic drugs (such as chemotherapeutic agents), can also co-select for antibiotic resistance. This review aims to provide an overview of four classes of non-antibiotic agents (metals, biocides, plant protection products, and non-antibiotic drugs) and how they may co-select for antibiotic resistance, with a particular focus on the environment. It also aims to identify key knowledge gaps that should be addressed in future work, to better understand these potential co-selective agents.
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